The Young Inquisitior
by ChiefD3m0n1c
Summary: Thedas is falling apart at the seams. The Mage Templar War rages on, the country in complete chaos. But when the Conclave, the last hope for a peaceful end to the war, ends in an explosion that creates a tear in the Veil called the Breach, everything has changed. The hope rests on the Inquisition, led by a very unusual person. Ruby Rose, Huntress and now, Inquisitor.
1. Chapter 1: A New World

**A/N:** So this was an idea I had while playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, what if our crimson hero were to appear on Thedas during the time of the Breach? And what if she was the key to Thedas' survival? Well, wonder no more! I present to you, The Young Inquisitor!

Chapter 1: A New World

Ruby laid on the cold ground, her head pulsing as she felt a massive knot on the back of her head like someone had hit her with something. She slowly pushed herself up and looked at the ground beneath her, seeing the cold, unwelcoming rock she sat on. Ruby looked around at the unfamiliar land in front of her, seeing dark gray peaks blocked out by a sickening green mist that filled her with a sense of unease. Ruby slowly brought herself to her feet, stumbling a bit before finally steadying herself, looking for any way out of this place she was in. She started to walk forward, not wanting to stay in a place like this, a dark evil place.

She walked a straight line, looking for any sign of an exit, any chance she might leave this cursed place. She looked around and finally saw a glimmer of hope, a large mountain that had a large green light at the top, as well as the white outline of a woman. Ruby practically started sprinting towards the light, finally feeling happiness and hope break through the dread and gloom that polluted where she was.

"Hurry!" A woman's voice echoed through the darkness as the figure urged her forward. Ruby hit a large slope that lead to the wall of the mountain, her determination stronger than ever as she approached her hope. She could hear the woman urging her forward, but Ruby also started to hear something behind her, like something was following her. She looked back to see dark shapes moving in the green mist behind her, and she really didn't want to find out what was coming after her. Ruby ran as fast as she could until she hit the wall of the mountain, easily finding holdings for her to climb.

"Hurry! They're right behind you!" The woman urged once again, continuing to call to Ruby. Ruby started to climb, hearing the sounds of scuttling across the rock, alerting her that something was now definitely pursuing her. She climbed as fast as she could, careful not to lose her footing as the white glowing woman held her hand out for her. Ruby finally reached the top and grabbed the woman's hand, the woman pulling her up and nearly tossing her into the bright green light before her and throwing her into an entirely new world. Ruby fell to the ground, finding it warm and welcoming as opposed to whatever place she left behind.

Ruby felt her head start to grow light as she heard metal clanging against the rock and someone shout "Find the Seeker!"

O00000O00000O

Ruby slowly regained consciousness, finding that she was once again in a cold dark place, but she was not alone this time. Ruby looked around, counting four armored men with longswords pointed at her, each wearing a metal chest plate, greaves, bracers and helms, the prominent symbol being an eye with a sun behind it. She was chained to the ground in the middle of a jail area, cells with barred walls surrounding her with a wooden door straight in front of her. Her hands were bound with large metal cuffs connected by a metal bar, the cuffs chained to the ground in front of her. Ruby sat silently in the middle of the room, the only sounds were the breathing of her and the men that surrounded up.

She started to feel a bit of pain in her left hand, Ruby looking at it to see a glowing green scar in the middle of her palm, the light shining bright like the one in that awful place she was before. Ruby gasps as small sparks came off of it, causing her a bit of pain to shoot through her hand.

"Where am I? What's going on?" Ruby practically whimpered as she closed her hand to fight off the pain. All of the men remained silent until the wooden door finally flew open and two women walked in, all of the men putting their longswords away. The first woman looked like she'd seen far too many battles, and knew many more were about to come. She wore armor similar to the men in the room, but her chest plate had a black and white pattern to it and the clothes she wore underneath was a purple color instead of a tan. She had short black hair that seemed like it was cut to prevent her sight from being stopped and from anyone pulling on it.

Her face was very defined with her dark piercing brown eyes and small diagonal scar going from her left ear and an inch away from the corner of her mouth. The second woman remained close to the door, Ruby only able to make out a vague definition of her body, which seemed very slim and she wore a hood over her head. The first woman walked behind Ruby and knelt down, Ruby smelling the stench of fighting on her and feeling the anger in her breath.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now." The woman snarled in Ruby's ear. Ruby was feeling a mix of emotions as the woman circled in front of her. Most of it was between fear and confusion, since this woman was threatening her even though she had no idea what was happening right now. Ruby decided that the best thing for her right now was to tell the truth, what little she actually knew.

"I don't know what's going on." Ruby admitted, following the woman as she started to pace in front of her. Ruby's answer seemed to do nothing but anger the woman as she grabbed her wrist and raised it to eye level.

"Then explain this!?" The woman barked as she threw Ruby's wrist back down, the cold metal slamming against her thigh.

"I can't."

"You're lying!"

The woman was about to draw her blade when the second woman rushed to her side, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from drawing it. Ruby could now see the second woman clearer than before, and she could see the second woman looked much softer than the first. She had very soft features that complimented the bright orange hair she had. Her clothing was a long robe that stopped at the knees and was a dark purple color that nearly blended in perfectly with the darkness. Ruby spotted the same symbol on the metal clasp of her robe, Ruby knowing they worked together.

"Stop Cassandra! We need her!" The woman replied with an accent, almost like it was French. The woman, Cassandra, finally let go of her blade and allowed the second woman to step forward.

"Hello there. I am Sister Leliana. What is your name?" The woman asked.

"Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"Ruby, can you tell us what you remember? Anything at all."

Ruby looked down at her legs and started to think, but all she was recalling was that awful place she was before. Again, better to tell them what she knew rather than nothing at all.

"I… I remember running. There were things chasing me. Then there was… a woman."

"A woman? Who was she? Was it the Divine?" Cassandra questioned. Ruby looked up at Cassandra, seeing the concern in her face over this Divine. Whoever she was, the Divine was clearly an important person to Cassandra. Unfortunately, Ruby had no idea who this Divine was or where she even was.

"What's a Divine?" Ruby questioned, unsure of whether she was able to ask a question. Leliana looked back at Cassandra, who simply shrugged after Ruby asked her question. Leliana turned back to Ruby with a very inquisitive look on her face.

"Ruby, do you know where you are?" Leliana questioned, who was starting to see the situation clearly.

"N-no… I don't."

"Ruby, where are you from?"

"Patch, a small island off the coast of Vale. Is that anywhere near by?"

Leliana stood up and pulled Cassandra to the door by the forearm, Cassandra staring at Ruby with extreme curiosity.

"Cassandra, I don't think she's from here." Leliana exclaimed, looking at Ruby from out of the corner of her eye.

"Leliana, you can't be serious! What you're saying is… madness!" Cassandra exclaimed, clear that she didn't believe that Ruby wasn't from whatever country she was in.

"We live in mad times, Cassandra. Is what we're seeing here truly mad? I mean, look at her! She clearly has no idea about the Divine, and I doubt she even knows about the war."

"What war?" Ruby questioned, wanting to at least be in the loop of what was going on. Leliana broke away from the conversation and knelt down in front of Ruby, eyes her like she did before, kinda like how one would with a curiosity.

"Do you know what a Mage is?" Leliana questioned, unsure of what answer she would get out of the red and black clad girl.

"Yeah, that's a person who can use magic, right?" Ruby answered, hoping that her answer was a right one.

"Yes, but do you know how they can use magic?"

"Um… it's like… a natural thing for them. It's like their Semblance."

Leliana turned back to Cassandra, who shrugged once again. Leliana turned back to Ruby and had a face that said she was deep in thought before asking the next question.

"What about a Templar? Do you know what they are? Or what they do?" Leliana questioned, seeing if she really didn't know, or was faking it.

Ruby looked at her legs again, trying to figure out of this was some kind of test to see if she would tell them what they wanted to know, or they were just testing her knowledge. Ruby looked up, deciding, once more, that honesty was the best policy.

"No, I don't know what a Templar is or what they do."

It was Cassandra's turn to ask more questions, but she was less accommodating than Leliana was.

"What about the Chantry? The Mage Rebellion? The Grey Wardens?" Cassandra questioned, trying to find out exactly what this girl knew.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby answered, starting to worry about what they were going to do with her once they learned she was basically useless.

Leliana stood up and stepped aside with Cassandra, both of them very unsure of what they were going to do with Ruby.

"Cassandra, she clearly doesn't know anything about Thedas. From what she says, she isn't even from this _planet."_ Leliana assured, clear that Ruby was alien to their realm.

"Fine, but she has the mark. She has something to do with the Conclave and the Breach. Go to the forward camp, I'll show her."

Leliana walked out while Cassandra approached Ruby with her hand fishing in a pouch on her hip. Cassandra started to unlock the cuffs on Ruby's wrist, the green mark on her starting to cause her a little more discomfort.

"You may not know anything, but you deserve to know what is happening." Cassandra stated as she swapped Ruby's metal cuffs for a pair of rope ones. Sure, this girl may know nothing about the world she was in, but that didn't mean she was to be trusted 100%. She helped Ruby to her feet and led her to the door while she explained the situation.

"The Templars and Mages have been at war for some time now. The Mages were tired of the Circles and the Templars that oppressed them. The Conclave was called by the Most Holy, Divine Justinia, leader of the Chantry. It was meant to create peace between the two factions… until the explosion that killed everyone… except you."

Ruby and Cassandra exited her holding area, Ruby unable to believe the sight once her eyes adjusted to the light. Where ever she was, it was in the north since snow fell from the sky and covered the ground. Wooden buildings and tents covered the area as men and women in armor moved about while people that looked like civilians milled about. The main thing that caught Ruby's attention was the massive green hole in the sky that looked like it was spitting out green meteors, the clouds looking like they were being sucked into the massive hole.

"What… what _is_ that?" Ruby questioned, unable to believe what she was looking at. The sight was… unbelievable, she could only assume that the explosion could have caused something like that… somehow. "Did the explosion cause that?"

"We can only assume. The explosion occurred at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, a shrine to the great heroine Andraste, who spread the word of the Maker. It was there the Conclave was held, the leaders from both the Mages and Templars, as well as the Divine and her followers, died, and where you were found." Cassandra answered, not taking her eyes off of the massive hole in the sky. "Everyone has taken to calling it the Breach, a massive rift into the Fade, the realm of spirits and demons. There are smaller rifts into the Fade, but this one is just the largest."

Ruby continued to stare at the Breach in awe, unable to believe what she was hearing. A realm of spirits and demons? Mages? And she was currently at the center of it? What the Dust was going on? Ruby quickly changed her thought as a large pulse erupted from the Breach, causing the mark on her hand to flare and fill her entire arm with pain. Ruby unintentionally raised her hands to the breach as she cried out in pain and dropped to her knees. Cassandra dropped to one knee as the pain in Ruby's hand subsided.

"As the Breach expands, so does that mark on your hand, and it is killing you." Cassandra pointed out.

"Then what can I do?" Ruby questioned as she clutched her marked hand.

"We believe that, with that mark, you can close the Breach, or at least stop it from expanding."

Ruby stared at the ground, fighting back tears of pain as it racked her entire arm, the mark pulsing in sync with the Breach. She had no options on what to do, she was stuck in a strange world with no help and a mark that was currently killing her. Ruby looked up at Cassandra with tears in her eyes and an answer for the hardened woman before her.

"Alright." Ruby responded. "Alright, I'll help you close that Breach." Cassandra had a look of surprise on her face as Ruby forced herself to her feet, determination being the only thing that kept her going. "It is my duty as a Huntress to protect the people from the dangers of the world, and if that means closing the Breach, then so be it." Cassandra rose to her feet and nodded.

"Very well then, let's go to the forward camp. From there we'll come up with a plan." Cassandra proclaimed before starting towards the Breach. Ruby followed behind her, still nervous about what was to come of her life when all of this was over. As they walked through the camp, Ruby noticed that the people around the camp were either fearful of her, or giving her dirty looks of anger and rage.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" Ruby questioned, a little more fearful of the people than her own future.

"They have already decided your fate. Your true fate will be decided once this is all over." Cassandra answered, keeping Ruby close and away from the people who had already decided she was guilty of the explosion at the Conclave. The two walked through a gate house that opened up to a bridge that was covered in wrapped bodies. Ruby threw her hands to her mouth, gasping at the sight of the destruction that had been caused. Cassandra turned to her with a knife in her hand, taking her hands and cutting the rope cuffs she wore.

"I cannot hold your hand the entire time, but know that I will be keeping my eye on you. If we follow the path, we will be at the forward camp quickly." Cassandra exclaimed as she put her knife away. Cassandra moved Ruby forward, who seemed to be stunned at the sight of the number of bodies on the bridge. Slowly, Ruby began to move forward, attempting to nearly run past the bodies once they got near them. The next guardhouse opened and the two followed the trail that was laid before them. Ruby spotted two guards running from the breach, jumping the barricades that were set up along the path.

"Maker! They're everywhere! The valley is overrun!" One guard barked as they ran past. Ruby wasn't discouraged as she moved by the barricades, determined to make it to the forward camp. She was about halfway up the trail when there was another pulse from the Breach, causing her mark to flare and dropping Ruby to her knees. Cassandra moved to Ruby's side to ensure that she was okay.

"The pulses are coming faster. We have to hurry!" Cassandra urged as she assisted Ruby to her feet. The two began to move at a quicker pace, reaching the next guardhouse in half the time. The doors opened and they began to cross the bridge, but one of the green meteors from the Breach flew down and slammed into the bridge, sending several of the guards flying and destabilizing the bridge. The bridge began to falter and finally collapsed, sending Ruby and Cassandra down to the frozen river below. Ruby rolled until she hit the cart that had fallen with the bridge, Cassandra doing the same.

Ruby slowly rose to her knees and shook her head, just in time to see one of the green meteors crash through the trees and into the frozen river. The ground looked like a bubbling pile of green and black slime as she saw something reach out of the gunk. Ruby watched as the creature fully emerged from the slime, appearing to be a black hunched creature with thin arms and large black claws. Cassandra jumped to her feet, drawing her sword and pulling the shield off of her back.

"Stay behind me!" Cassandra declared as she squared the shield up to the creature before them. Cassandra charged forward with a mighty roar and collided with the creature, her sword slashing through the creature like it was nothing. Ruby got up and noticed there was another bubbling slime pile in front of her, and another creature starting to emerge from it. She looked around to find something, anything, she could use to defend herself and fight this monstrosity. Luck was on Ruby's side when she spotted Crescent Rose in its compact form inside the cart, putting a smile on Ruby's face.

Ruby quickly yanked Crescent Rose from the cart and pointed the barrel at the creature as it fully emerged from the slime. She pulled the trigger, blasting the head of the creature as well as most of the upper half of its body off, the corpse dissipating into black smoke. Ruby swapped the compact weapon into its scythe form, prepared to assist Cassandra, who was still fighting her opponent. Ruby pulled her weapon back, preparing to cleave the creature in two. Ruby side stepped so she wouldn't hit Cassandra and did exactly that, the top half of the creature flying and turning to smoke as the bottom half collapsed.

"I think that's all of them." Ruby panted as she collapsed Crescent Rose and put it on her back. She turned to Cassandra, who had a snarl on her face and her sword pointed at Ruby.

"Drop the weapon. Now!" Cassandra ordered, clear that Ruby being armed was not a good idea. Ruby had no intention of dropping her weapon and moving to the forward camp unarmed, but it didn't seem like she had a choice in the matter.

"Alright, I'll drop my weapon." Ruby exclaimed as she took Crescent Rose with one hand. She was starting to pull it off when Cassandra lowered her weapon.

"Wait. I can't expect you to follow me unarmed, and I can't protect you the entire time." Cassandra sheathed her blade and started to walk towards the ridge that lead to the path. She stopped and turned back to Ruby, stating "I do have to remember you came with me willingly."

The two began to move along the ridge, Cassandra kneeling by a corpse of a man in full metal armor and looked like he was wearing a bucket on his head. The emblem on his chest was an upward pointing sword with fire coming off of it. Cassandra proceeded to pull small vials of red liquid off of the man and handed them to Ruby.

"Here, take these. They're healing potions. If you get hurt in a fight, then drink this and you'll be patched up." Cassandra explained as Ruby took the potions from her. Ruby silently tied the vials to her belt as Cassandra pulled a small pouch off the man's waist and weighed it in her palm, the pouch clinking a before Cassandra tied it to her own waist. Cassandra stood up and continued walking along the path, Ruby following silently. The two continued to move until they spotted two more of the black creatures along the frozen river, the two looking down on them from a ridge.

"What are those things?" Ruby silently questioned as she pulled Crescent Rose from her back.

"Shades. Demons from the Fade. If we can flank them, then we can gain the advantage. I'll draw their attention while you go around and hit them in the back." Cassandra explained as she drew her own weapons. Cassandra quietly jumped from the ridge while Ruby snuck around, doing her best not to be spotted by the Shades. Ruby heard Cassandra's war cry and then the sound of claws hitting metal, knowing that the fight had already started. Ruby quickly went around the ridge and saw Cassandra blocking the Shade's attacks. Ruby used her Semblance and flew over to the Shades, raising her weapon and slicing both of them in half with a single swing.

Ruby collapsed her weapon and looked to Cassandra, who had a look of surprise on her face as she sheathed her sword.

"Should we keep going?" Ruby questioned as she pointed to the Breach.

"Of… of course. Let's keep moving. We shouldn't be too far." Cassandra exclaimed as she took the lead. The two began to move when another meteor crashed down in front of them, another shade as well as a new creature emerged from the slime. This one sat far off on the ridge that overlooked their position and looked like the upper half of a skeleton, but it floated and was a sickly green color. The skeleton pulled its hand back and then threw a ball of greenlight at them, the two rolling to avoid the unknown attack.

"On the ridge! It attacks from a far! I'll handle the Shade, you take the Wraith!" Cassandra ordered as she drew her sword and shield. Before Ruby could question anything, Cassandra was charging the Shade with her shield in front. Ruby didn't want the Wraith to do whatever attack it just did, so she pulled Crescent Rose out in its combat sniper rifle form and fired a round into the spirit. The round tore through the spirit, causing it to fade away in pieces as Cassandra cut down the Shade with ease. Ruby caught up with Cassandra as she sheathed her sword.

"We're almost there. You can hear the fighting from here." Cassandra exclaimed as the two started to climb the ridge.

"Who's fighting? Ruby questioned as she swapped Crescent Rose to its scythe form.

"You'll see."

The two ran along the path and saw the remains of a guardhouse as well as a large green light, similar to the one that Ruby came through. She saw several guards fighting Shades as well as a bald man with a staff throwing fire at the creatures. Ruby and Cassandra jumped down the small ledge and started to engage the Shades, the two slashing the spirits down with ease. Ruby slashed the last Shade in half while another was blasted by arrow bolts, probably from a crossbow. Ruby pointed Crescent Rose back and then fired a round off, sending herself flying and sliced three Shades in half while Cassandra slammed into another one.

Ruby slid to a stop and went after one of the last few Shades while the remaining soldiers ganged up on the last two. Ruby sliced the last one and drove the blade into the ground, looking around for any more Shades. The bald man with the staff went up to her and grabbed her left wrist, the one that had the mark on it.

"Use the mark! Quickly!" The bald man shouted. He then raised Ruby's hand up towards the green rift, and something unbelievable happened. A large green beam shot out of Ruby's hand and collided with the rift, causing a bit of a disturbance. The rift faltered for a minute before finally closing, the light beam from the mark ending. Ruby looked at her hand in disbelief as the bald man exclaimed "It appears that my hypothesis was correct, you can close the rifts using the mark in your hand."

Ruby looked at the mark on her hand, and then at the man who knew more about the mark than she did. He was a tall, skinny man that was about as tall as Cassandra and he wore very loose fitting clothing. He wore a tan long sleeved think shirt, almost like a sweater with a green vest over top. He wore dark pants, but he didn't wear shoes. The most notable feature Ruby saw were his ears; they were pointed.

"I take it that you haven't seen an elf before." The man exclaimed as he leaned on his staff. Ruby slowly shook her head as she continued to stare at the elf, adding elves to the list of "Things I Can't Believe Today".

"Well then, I bet she hasn't met a dwarf either." A rough sounding voice exclaimed behind Ruby. She turned to see a man that was, surprisingly, shorter than her and had more hair on his chest than he did his head. He had a very broad figure, despite his small size, and had a head of orange hair that was tied back into a small ponytail. He wore a red long sleeve shirt that was very decorative and black pants with black boots. The largest thing Ruby took notice was the crossbow on his back, which looked amazing.

"Varric Tethras, rogue, story teller, and occasionally, unwelcome tag along." Varric introduced. Ruby noted that Varric winked at Cassandra, who made a disgusted face as well as an equally disgusted sound.

"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. I like your crossbow." Ruby exclaimed, eager to see the weapon.

"Bianca? She's gotten me out of a lot of trouble." Varric responded as he looked over his shoulder at his weapon.

"You named your weapon Bianca? Mine's Crescent Rose." Ruby added as she pulled Crescent Rose from the small of her back. Varric looked at the weapon with a definite interest, since Crescent Rose was currently the most advanced weapon on Thedas.

"My name is Solas, if introductions are to be made." The elf introduced. Ruby noticed he had a bit of a relaxed posture, leaning on his staff for support but she doubted he actually needed it. "Cassandra, Ruby here is not a mage, but I doubt any mage could have enough power to cause the Breach."

"Well then, what's the plan?" Varric questioned as he adjusted the cuff of his shirt.

"No! You are not coming with us." Cassandra barked, clear she didn't want to be anywhere near Varric.

"Have you seen the valley, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore." Varric pointed out.

"Enough! All of us need to get to the forward camp." Ruby ordered, Cassandra a little surprised such a young girl could have such command. "Let's get moving."

Cassandra and Solas started walking while Ruby took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. The entire situation was aggravating since turning down help at a time like this was just stupid.

"Well, Bianca's excited." Varric pointed out as he followed Cassandra and Solas. Ruby rolled her eyes and followed suit, jumping over the small wooden barricade and moving ever closer to the forward camp and the Breach. Ruby took the lead and followed the new section of the frozen river until they reached a wider section, where there were two Wraiths and two Shades, one of them sporting a Centurion look. It had golden armor covering its hump and head with a large plume on its back.

Varric stepped beside Ruby and questioned "So? What's the plan, kid?" Ruby surveyed the battlefield and quickly came up with a plan.

"Cassandra, you and I will charge the Shades while Solas and Varric set up on that ridge and take out the Wraiths. Sound good." Ruby set up. Everyone nodded and the two ranged fighters set up on the ridge, ready for Ruby's plan. Once they were set, Cassandra and Ruby both charged forward, both of them delivering loud war cries that caught the attention of the Shades. Ruby saw the two Wraiths suddenly come under fire from crossbow bolts and small blasts of fire, which preoccupied them. Cassandra slammed into the normal Shade while Ruby tangled with the Centurion Shade, the demon able to take a good hit from Crescent Rose's scythe and keep going.

Ruby slid across the ice as the Centurion Shade turned back towards her and started lunging towards her, which seemed to be its only way of moving. Ruby held her ground as the armored demon slid after her, claws raised to strike her down when Ruby swung her scythe and took its head and arms off. Ruby spun her scythe and held it behind her head as the Centurion Shade collapsed to the ground. She pulled her scythe from the ground as the other joined back up with her.

"So, are you innocent?" Varric questioned as the group headed for the path into the mountains.

"I don't remember what happened." Ruby answered as they crossed by some ruins of a house.

"Should've spun a story."

"That's what _you_ would have done." Cassandra pointed out.

"It helps avoid premature execution."

The group followed the path until they arrived at a guard house that had a rift open in front of the door. Ruby charged in and sliced a Wraith in half that was more focused on the guards than those behind them. After the first attack, the three Shades and two remaining Wraiths all turned to Ruby and prepared to attack. Cassandra charged forward and gained just as much attention as she slammed into a Shade while Varric started putting bolts into the Wraiths. Solas spun his staff over his head and brought it down, freezing a Shade for Ruby to attack.

Ruby used her semblance and rushed forward, slicing the frozen Shade in half and then driving the blade straight down into the last Shade. Varric fired a bolt that struck the last Wraith and then immediately exploded, killing the Wraith and making it fade away. The rift suddenly opened up and Ruby's mark began to tingle, so she raised it up and the beam of light flew from her hand and hit the rift.

"By the Maker! It's true!" one of the soldiers gasped as Ruby closed the rift. The soldiers immediately started to open the gate and the group headed into the forward camp, Ruby immediately seeing more bodies. Ruby froze, still unable to comprehend what she was seeing. All this death, all this destruction coming from a place that was meant for peace. She felt a hand on her back and looked over to see Varric urging her forward with a small smile.

"Don't worry kid. Just keep pressing on." Varric urged, slightly pushing her forward. Ruby started walking, keeping her eyes forward and focused on the mission at hand instead of all the death around her. Cassandra moved ahead of Ruby as they spotted Sister Leliana arguing with a man in a robe. He stood as tall as she did and wore a white robe with a red poncho like garment over top. There were three golden spike patterns going up the red garment, one to each armpit and the last to the center of his chest.

The robe had a white hood and the man wore a black, almost square cap on the top of his head. His cheeks and chin were covered in black stubble and he seemed like a bit of an angry person.

"We can't keep holding this position!" The man argued, pointing angrily at Sister Leliana. The group approached the man and Sister Leliana, the man clearly upset to see Ruby no longer in binds.

"Seeker! I command you to arrest this young woman!" The man barked as he angrily pointed at Ruby. Ruby looked to Cassandra, who seemed slightly irritated at the command.

"You? Command me? You are a glorified clerk!"

"And you are a thug, but a thug that supposedly serves the Chantry."

"We serve Divine Justinia." Sister Leliana exclaimed, as if she was reminding the man of who they worked for. "This is Chancellor Roderick, one of the few remaining members of the Chantry."

"Hello Chancellor, I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced as she held out her hand, attempting to lighten the mood. The man hardly seemed like he was in the mood for friendly introductions, so Ruby slowly pulled her hand back.

"I demand this child be arrested and sent to Val Royeaux for trial!" Chancellor Rodrick demanded, stunning Ruby with his demand.

"But I didn't do anything!" Ruby blurted, trying to defend her position.

"That will be determined at the trial."

"We need her to seal the Breach!" Cassandra exclaimed, stepping up to defend Ruby. Ruby was happy that someone was on her side, but she was also the cause of this argument.

"How do we even know she didn't cause the Breach? Besides, our position here is lost Seeker. We must abandon this lost cause before more lives are lost."

"We will not retreat while the Breach remains in the sky."

"Then what shall you do?"

"We will charge. Fight our way to the Temple."

"That definitely is the quickest way, but not the safest." Sister Leliana pointed out. "If we take the mountain pass, while the soldiers charge, we will reach the Temple with minimal contact."

"We lost contact with the scouts when the fighting began. What do you think we should do?" Cassandra questioned as she turned to Ruby. Ruby looked around and noticed that everyone was looking to her for an answer.

"Wait, you're asking me?" Ruby exclaimed with a surprised tone. The fact they were leaving her with such an important decision when they hardly knew her.

"You have the mark." Solas pointed out.

"And you're the only one who needs to make it to the Temple." Cassandra added, clear that only Ruby's choice mattered. Ruby walked a little bit past everyone, getting an unhindered look at the mountain as she made a decision. If the group went up the mountain pass, then a lot of soldiers would die just to cover their movement. But if they charged with the soldiers, then the scouts would be lost in the pass. Ruby thought long and hard about her decision, finally turning to the group with her answer.

"I can't just stand by and let soldiers die while I try and stay safe. We charge." Ruby declared, noticing a small smirk on Cassandra's face. The group started to move, following the plan that was put forward.

"On your head, be the consequences, Seeker." Chancellor Rodrick proclaimed as they started walking away. The group moved with the group of soldiers, all of them ready to fight, and also whispering amongst each other about the small girl that was leading the charge. The group moved until they were at the summit of the mountain, Ruby spotting the remains of a large doorway with demons around it.

"Charge!" Ruby bellowed as she raised her scythe and lead the charge. The soldiers drew their blades and everyone slammed into the wall of demons, the dark creatures surprised by the force that slammed into them. Ruby fired the last few rounds she had in her magazine and was force to drop and reload her sniper rifle.

" _I have to conserve these. I don't know if this place has the materials I need to make more bullets."_ Ruby thought as she pulled the charging handle, loading a round into the chamber. Ruby continued slicing through the Shades and Wraiths, closing whatever rifts she came across. The group finally broke the lines and got through the doorway, seeing a few soldiers fighting demons beneath another rift. Ruby moved quickly though the fighting, slicing any Shade that she could reach and alleviate any fighting on the soldiers. There was one man standing beneath the rift who was taking on two Shades by himself, and was holding his own very well.

He held his shield up and deflected a blow from one Shade, then spun with his swing and sliced the other Shade across its stomach. He then bashed it with his shield, knocking the Shade to the ground and driving his sword into the first Shade's chest. Ruby was about to attempt to close the rift when it opened and faint green light beams came out of it, hitting the ground and creating green ripples. Suddenly, wiry green tails rose from the pools, then the owners shot out of the ground. The creatures were tall, about 9 feet tall, but incredibly skinny.

They had sickly green skin that looked like it was peeling off in certain places with long lanky limbs. The creature's face and head were very strange, the head was normally shaped, but the mouth appeared to extend down the neck and stop at the center of its chest, teeth lining the outside completely. Many little eyes darted back and forth as the two demons found their targets.

"Terror Demons!" The man with the sword and shield roared as he charged one of the demons. Ruby charged the other demon the man wasn't charging, swinging her scythe and slicing the back of the Terror Demon. The demon turned towards her and screeched, but the screech ended quickly as a crossbow bolt nailed the demon in the face. Ruby turned to see her group charging the Terror Demons, Ruby smiling as she swung her scythe and sliced the demon in half. Solas froze the demon the man was fighting, him and Cassandra slamming it with their shields and shattering it like glass.

The rift opened again, Ruby using her mark to close the rift a little easier than the other rifts she had dealt with.

"You are becoming quite proficient at this." Solas commented as he walked over to Ruby.

"Let's hope it works on the big one." Varric commented as he put Bianca on his back. Cassandra went to the man, assuring that he was okay. The man was as tall as Cassandra and had long blonde hair that was slicked back and wore dark colored armor. His pauldrons looked like they were covered in either feathers of long fur, but either way they were black in color.

"Cullen, how is everything?" Cassandra questioned, her tone sounding more like a status report than a concerned question.

"We've taken back control of the Temple, a group of our soldiers as well as the mercenary band are holding the area." Cullen answered.

"How many did we lose?"

"Too many. I hope getting the child up here was worth it."

"I'll do everything I can to seal the Breach." Ruby assured, feeling guilty that her plan had cost so many lives. She looked around, seeing several wounded soldiers… and just as many dead.

"I hope you're right, for all our sakes." Cullen commented as he started to walk away. Ruby watched as he helped a limping soldier towards the doorway, a ping of guilt hitting Ruby's stomach as she looked away. She couldn't tear her sight away from her feet until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up to see Cassandra with a small smile on her face.

"Come along. It is not much father now." Cassandra assured, slightly urging Ruby towards the edge towards the center of the Temple. Ruby started moving, wiping the few tears from her eyes and jumping over the edge, and seeing the effect of the explosion. There were bodies with skin so charred, their bodies were frozen in their final moments of pain and anguish, green fire still burning on the upper half of their bodies. Ruby was slightly getting used to seeing the covered bodies and effects of battle, but this was something completely different, seeing the screaming bone faces of those who wanted nothing more than peace. Ruby swallowed her sadness and fear and pressed on, heading towards the source of the Breach, which appeared to be a large green column of light coming from the center of the Temple.

The group found a collapsed corridor they could use, Ruby seeing more burning corpses as they walked on. They started to hear footsteps behind them, everyone turning to see Leliana with a few scouts with bows and arrows behind her. Everyone turned back to their path and started to walk until they saw a woman standing on the edge of the remains of a balcony, the railing still intact. The woman turned, Ruby seeing that she was an elf with strange tattoos on her face as well as a small smile. She had short black hair that complemented her tanned skin tone, as well as the dark green armor with strange etchings on it.

"Ah, Seeker. Nice to see you survived the climb up here." The elf greeted as she stepped forward and extended her hand. Cassandra shook it with a questioning look, unsure of the woman she was greeting.

"I do not believe we've met. Who are you?" Cassandra questioned as the two detached from one another.

"Forgive me, Brianna White-Steel, leader of the Misfits Mercenary Company."

Ruby looked around Cassandra and noticed the white battle-axe Brianna had on her back, which sparkled green against the light of the Breach. Briana looked around Cassandra and noticed Ruby staring at her axe.

"You like it? It is Star Cleaver, forged from the metal of a fallen star." Briana exclaimed as she pulled the axe off of her back and showed it to Ruby. Ruby couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the weapon, its form magnificent and craftsmanship nearly perfect.

"So, what's the Breach been doing while we were fighting our way up here?" Varric questioned as he moved to look at the Breach. Everyone moved forward to look at the source of the Breach while Brianna explained their situation.

"Nothing so far. I have my men positioned around the courtyard in optimal positions while your archers are set up in high places." Brianna explained while everyone looked. Ruby looked out across the courtyard, seeing the men positioned everywhere, and then the large crystal in the center. The crystal was massive and constantly forming and shifting. The green color of the crystal was the same as the rifts and Ruby's mark, the crystal being made of several shards protruding in different directions, either moving from the center or shrinking back. Ruby followed the green light the crystal emitted and followed it all the way up to the center of the Breach, the massive rift into the Fade.

"Um, how am I supposed to get up there?" Ruby questioned, trying to figure out the massive height to the center of the rift.

"There will be no need to send you up there. We can stop the Breach from spread by sealing it from its source." Cassandra explained, pointing at the large crystal in the courtyard. Ruby nodded and started walking around the edge towards the courtyard. As they were walking, a dark voice started to echo through the courtyard.

"Now is the hour of our victory." The dark voice proclaimed. Ruby immediately drew her scythe and started looking around for the source of the voice. Another voice broke the echo, a woman's voice crying out for help.

"Please! Help me!" The voice cried out.

"Solas, what are we hearing?" Cassandra questioned with her sword drawn and shield out.

"The Veil is weakened here. What we're hearing is the memories of what happened before the explosion." Solas explained, much calmer than everyone else. The group continued to move along the outer edge, Ruby spotting some massive red crystals coming out of the walls and the ground, but something about them made her uneasy.

"You know what this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker." Varric practically hissed as the started passing the crystals. Ruby looked back and saw that Varric wouldn't go anywhere near the crystals like they carried some kind of disease.

"I know what it is, Varric." Cassandra responded as she avoided it just as Varric had.

"But what's it _doing_ here?

"Perhaps the power here drew it from below." Solas suggested.

"The stuff's evil. Don't touch it!"

Ruby took renewed care to avoid the crystal after hearing that conversation. The group jumped down a few fallen sections of wall before finally reaching the courtyard. As they rounded the large column in the center of the courtyard, the rift shimmered and showed a dark shadow with burning red eyes.

"Now is the hour of our victory." The shadow proclaimed as it raised its dark, clawed hand. A woman appeared in front of the shadow, wearing similar clothing to Chancellor Roderick, but she wore a taller white and red hat. The woman's face was aged, clearly getting late in her years.

"Please! Help me! Why are you doing this!?" The woman cried for help.

"Keep the sacrifice still."

Suddenly, an image of Ruby appeared, everyone immediately looking to her as she appeared in the image.

"What's going on here!?" The image Ruby declared as she drew Crescent Rose.

"You have to warn them!" The woman cried out as she looked to Ruby.

"Slay the girl." The shadow ordered just as the image disappeared.

"You _were_ there! What happened!? Who kill the Most Holy!?" Cassandra questioned as she spun Ruby around to face her.

"I don't know! I don't remember what happened!" Ruby exclaimed, telling nothing but the truth.

"Cassandra, there is a more pressing matter at hand. This rift is sealed, but improperly. If Ruby uses her mark to reopen it, then she can seal it properly and stop the Breach from spreading." Solas exclaimed as he examined the rift.

"That means demons! Everyone stand ready!" Cassandra announced as she raised her sword. Ruby saw everyone ready themselves, soldiers drawing their swords and archer readying their staves. Ruby approached the rift and raised her hand, the mark reacting with the rift and starting to open it. Ruby finally pulled her hand back, tearing the rift open and sending an arc of lightning, summoning a massive demon. The demon was massive, standing nearly 15 feet tall and was insanely broad with dark purple skin.

The shoulders had many small spikes that seemed to act as armor with large arms that had massive spikes coming from its elbows. The head was reptilian in shape with four horns curving towards the back of its head. The demon laughed a deep laugh as electricity arced from hand to hand.

"Now! Fire on the Pride Demon!" Cassandra ordered, the archers loosing their arrows on the demon, but the arrows just bounced off the demon's hide. Ruby quickly turned her scythe on the demon and fired a round, nailing the Pride Demon in the shoulder and causing it to falter. The demon immediately turned its attention to Ruby and was prepared to charge, when she saw a bright flash and an axe imbed its blade into the shoulder of the demon. Ruby watched Brianna jump from the balcony railing and land on the demon, ripping her axe from its shoulder and then drive it back in. The Pride Demon reached up and grabbed Brianna, throwing her as it created a large electric orb in its hand.

The demon fired the orb, the electrical spell heading straight for Ruby, who was frozen in place at the attack. Fortunately, someone jumped in the way of the attack and it simply dissipated, sparks of electricity arcing from the stranger's shield and into the ground. Ruby noticed that the person before her was wearing the same metal armor and bucket helmet as the fallen soldier she had gotten the health potion from. The Pride Demon took a step forward and was immediately barraged with arrows and spells, Cassandra and the newly risen Brianna attacking the demon's legs. The soldier in front of her charged with a roar equal to Cassandra's, moving at a surprising speed for all of the weight they were carrying.

"Quick! Stabilize the rift! It will weaken the demon!" Solas advised as he rolled out of the way of an electrical blast. Ruby did as she was told and turned to the rift, throwing her hand up and the light shooting from her hand. The light collided with the rift crystal, all of the shards starting to come closer together until it disappeared and sent out a small wave. The wave hit the Pride Demon and forced it to take a knee, leaving the demon wide open for attacks. Ruby deployed Crescent Rose in its scythe form, firing a round and propelling herself forward.

She swung her blade and struck the demon in the stomach, then again and again and again. The Pride Demon roared in pain as Ruby then jumped in the air and hooked her scythe blade around the back of the demon's neck. The Pride Demon looked down at her and growled, Ruby then pulling the trigger and slicing the head off the demon. She rolled with the hit and slid to a stop as the Pride Demon's corpse fell forward. She could then hear the rift open itself so that she could close it properly.

"Quickly! Before more come through!" Solas declared. Ruby moved nearly underneath the rift and raised her hand, the beam of light from her mark striking the rift. After a minute of draining Ruby of what little strength she had left, she closed the rift and sent a massive wave heading straight towards the Breach. Ruby slowly felt herself slip away as she fell and watched the wave hit the Breach.

 **A/N:** There you have it! The first chapter of "The Young Inquisitor"! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Remember, the more popular chapter will continue on while the other one will be stored away until another opening. PM or review with any thoughts comments or concerns. Until next time!

-Chief


	2. Chapter 2: The Inquisition

**A/N:** Well, "The Young Inquisitor" was the more popular of the two, so this story will continue on while "The Final Reaping" will stay back for a bit. So, I present to you… chapter two!

Chapter 2: The Inquisition

Ruby slowly started to wake up, this time to a warm, soft light instead of the cold rocky ground. Ruby slowly sat up, finding a large quilt over her and she was in different clothes. What she was wearing now felt like she was wearing a cross between a pair of pajamas and winter clothes. They were a dull grey color with shiny metal clasps and buttons. Ruby looked around the wooden room she was in, thinking that the entire structure was just about as big as her room back at Beacon.

There were two people sitting in the room with Ruby, a guy wearing metal armor and the other was a girl wearing, what looked like, robes. The armor was the same as the guy that blocked the attack from the Pride Demon. Instead of the bucket helmet, which now sat on a small table to the guy's left, he had dark orange hair that was cut very close to his head. He had pale skin and green eyes, a small scar starting from his right temple and stopped at his jaw line. The girl had similar features, the same dark orange hair but hers was longer, stopping at her shoulders.

She had the same pale skin and green eyes, but she had a black tattoo over her left eye. It was a strange circle above her eye with the top quarter missing while there were two lines beneath her eye that stopped an inch below. The two looked at her, Ruby waving nervously at both of them.

"Go tell the Seeker she's awake. I'll get her to the Chantry." The guy exclaimed as he stood up. The girl nodded and promptly left, leaving Ruby alone with the guy in metal armor. She noticed that his armor had the same flaming sword symbol on his chest as the man Cassandra and her found when she first gained consciousness. He stood up and greeted Ruby with his right arm to his left shoulder.

"Greetings, I am Raphael, formerly of the Templar's Order." Raphael greeted as he walked over to Ruby. Ruby slid to the edge of her bed and stood before Raphael, seeing that she was about a head shorter than him.

"Hi Raphael, I'm Ruby."

"I know. Everyone knows who you are. You stopping the Breach from expanding has been the talk for the past three days."

"Three days!? I've been out that long!"

"Yes, but don't worry. The healers have patched you up and the smith has given you new armor. Your weapon is currently at the smith as well, something about wanting to take a look at it."

"My baby!"

Ruby immediately tried to run out of the building, but Raphael caught Ruby around the waist before she could.

"Slow down! Everyone is waiting outside to see you. If they see you running off, they'll be put into a panic. Besides, Seeker Cassandra wants to speak with you in the Chantry. Let me take you there."

Raphael went to the door and placed his hand on the knob, awaiting sign from Ruby to show that she was ready. Ruby adjusted her coat and nodded, ready to meet the masses that she had help save. Raphael opened the door, Ruby seeing a similar sight, the wooden buildings and tents she saw when she was being escorted towards the Breach. This time, there were soldiers lined up to both sides of Ruby, holding back the mass of people that were trying to get a look at her. Raphael started walking with Ruby right behind him, everyone wide eyed to see the one that stopped the Breach from expanding.

Ruby decided to present herself in a better manner, she stood up straighter and smiled as she followed Raphael, appearing more confident. All of the soldiers that made the path held the same position Raphael had greeted her in as people whispered about her.

"Is that her?"

"She's so young."

"It's her! The Herald of Andraste!"

They turned up a set of stairs and Ruby was staring at something that looked like a massive church, so she could only assume that this was the Chantry. Raphael brought Ruby through the massive doors, Ruby already hearing the argument that was at the far end of the building. The two moved and Ruby could clearly hear Chancellor Roderick arguing with Cassandra.

"The Breach remains. The child failed, Seeker!" Roderick argued.

"She stopped the Breach from expanding." Cassandra replied.

"For all you know, she planned for this."

Ruby decided she was done listening and walked through the door, seeing two more men in metal armor like Raphael's. Ruby saw a large table at the center of the small room with Cassandra, Leliana and the girl from before on the opposite side while Chancellor Roderick was on the end to Ruby's left. Cassandra nodded and the two armored men, as well as Raphael and the girl, left the room. Ruby turned back to the trio, ready to face what was going to happen to her.

"Chain her! I want her ready for travel to the capital for trial!" Roderick exclaimed as he pointed at Ruby. Ruby sighed since he was certainly persistent she face trial for something she knew nothing about. Ruby was about to respond when Cassandra did.

"Disregard that order, and leave us." Cassandra ordered, the three heavy armored men bringing their right hand to their left shoulder and leaving, as well as the robed girl. Roderick hardly looked pleased as he sneered a venomous sneer at Cassandra.

"You walk a dangerous path, Seeker." Roderick practically hissed, Cassandra ignoring the tone in his voice.

"The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it."

Ruby was still uncomfortable with the entire situation. A member of a massive church trying to send her to a trail where she would more than likely be used as a patsy, and a woman who worked for the same church doing everything she could to prevent it. Ruby decided to put her word in, at least so they knew how she felt.

"I… I did everything I could. Stopping the Breach from spreading nearly killed me." Ruby muttered, unsure if what she said would make anything better of everything worse. The answer was apparently worse, since Roderick scowled at her with a snarled response.

"And yet here you are. A convenient result, as far as you're concerned." Roderick snarled. Cassandra stepped up to Roderick, the Chancellor stepping back as she did.

"Have a care, Chancellor. But the Breach is not our only threat." Cassandra exclaimed. Leliana moved to Cassandra's side, but in a way that was both completely silent and utterly graceful.

"Someone caused the explosion at the Conclave and killed the Divine. They may either be alive, or may have allies that still live." Leliana continued, her eyes like daggers digging into Roderick for a response.

" _I'm_ a suspect?"

"Along with many other surviving members of the Chantry."

"But not the prisoner?"

"I heard the voices at the Temple. Most Holy called out to her for help."

Roderick clearly didn't like that answer as he scowled with a look of disgust. The fact that Cassandra, the Right Hand of the Divine, her most trusted bodyguard, was defending the very person who may have killed her, was appalling at best.

"So the prisoner's survival, the mark on her hand… all, coincidence?" Roderick questioned, throwing his disgust around like a weapon. Cassandra stood firm against the Chancellor, like a wall of iron against a constant barrage.

"Providence. The Maker sent her to us in our darkest hour." Cassandra exclaimed. That was something that threw both Ruby and the Chancellor off, mostly Ruby since she had no idea who this "Maker" was. Unfortunately, Ruby made the mistake of asking one question.

"Who's the Maker?" Ruby questioned, simply trying to understand the situation. That question nearly sent Chancellor Roderick into a fury, his face becoming a deep red as his anger began to boil.

"You say the Maker sent her and yet she doesn't even know who the Maker is!?" Roderick nearly roared. Yet Cassandra stood strong, unyielding against Roderick. Cassandra still had more responses to Roderick's tantrum.

"I know that she is exactly what we need at the time we needed it." Cassandra exclaimed as she walked to the table in the back left corner of the room. Leliana decided to step forward and give her own mind into the conversation.

"The Breach remains, and Ruby is currently our only hope to close it." Leliana pointed out, which she was completely right.

"That is _not_ your decision to make!" Roderick barked as he pointed at Leliana. To Ruby's surprise, Leliana _didn't_ pull a dagger from behind her back and slice Roderick's hand off. Instead, she stood silently as Cassandra returned and slammed a book on the table. Cassandra placed a finger on the book as she schooled Roderick about it.

"Do you know what this is, Chancellor? It is a directive from the Divine, giving us the authority to act. As of now, I declare the Inquisition reborn." Cassandra declared in a voice that did nothing but command authority. Roderick even took a step back from the force of the declaration.

"The Chantry will hear about this!" Roderick declared as he turned and stormed out like a child. Ruby turned back to Cassandra and Leliana, who still had stone-like looks on their faces of determination.

"A writ from the Divine, to reform the Inquisition. To reestablish order and find those who stand against Chaos." Leliana exclaimed as she looked down at the book herself. She took a deep breath and sighed, Ruby wondering what could make a woman do such a thing.

"We are to close the Breach. With no resources, no allies, and now, no Chantry support." Leliana pointed out, establishing everything that could have possibly been wrong with their current situation. Cassandra, however, was still determined to do whatever it took to get the Inquisition up and running.

"But we have no choice: We must act now. With you at our side." Cassandra exclaimed as she looked to Ruby. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed at the situation she was in, having to stand with an unknown group and rebuild order in a world she had no clue about. In the simplest of terms, she was fucked.

"What's the Inquisition of old? I might as well know a little bit about it." Ruby questioned. Leliana was more than happy to give the answer.

"It preceded the Chantry, a group to establish order in a world gone mad." Leliana answered, leaving Cassandra to finish up.

"After they were through, they laid down their banner and formed the Templars, but they have since lost their way. We need those who can do what must be done united under a single banner once more." Cassandra answered, giving Ruby a brief synopsis on what happened with the Inquisition. Ruby nodded, happy to know that what she was doing would doing be doing everything they possibly could to help people.

"If you really are trying to help people…" Ruby trailed off.

"That's the idea." Leliana jumped in.

"Then I'll join you. I'll stand with the Inquisition." Ruby finished.

"Excellent. Leliana, send out the word. Tell everyone that the Inquisition has been reborn."

Leliana nodded and left, walking by a familiar face in the doorway. Brianna stood by the door, but quickly moved out of the way as a small flash of fear ran through her eyes. Once Leliana had passed, Brianna stood in the door way with a small, cloth wrapped package under her arm.

"Look who's back from the dead once again. Rachel told me you were up and walking around." Brianna chuckled as she entered the room. Cassandra stepped forward, clearly a little irritated that Brianna was either there, or had people reporting to her about every activity.

"I've been told that Josephine has already given you your payment. Is there something you need?" Cassandra questioned, stepping up to the elven heavy hitter. Brianna had a smirk on her face as she stood up and practically squared up against the Seeker. The elf moved the package from under her arm and into her hands as she answered Cassandra.

"I'm here to give Ruby a package from Harrit. He's put together some armor since her other clothes were kinda ruined." Brianna answered as she handed the package to Ruby. Ruby opened it up for a quick look, seeing that they looked almost exactly the same as her old clothes, only these were made with leather as opposed to cloth.

"Wow! I'll have to thank, Harrit? For this." Ruby exclaimed as she pulled out the entire gear. The only difference between her original gear and her new gear was the shoulders had small metal plates on them.

"You can use the room outside of here to the left. It will be your room for the time you are here. Feel free to walk around Haven and meet what allies we have here." Cassandra exclaimed as she turned to Ruby.

"And when you have time after being the big hero, swing by the tavern and meet my crew. All of them, including me, are at your disposal." Brianna added as she turned around. Cassandra was about to walk out when she stopped and looked at Ruby from the side.

"Thank you for agreeing to join us. Without you, our cause would not have the same impact that it does now." Cassandra thanked before she walked off to do whatever she did in her spare time. Ruby looked at the armor in her arms and decided to change while she still had the time. Ruby went into the room she was given and it was roughly the same size as her room back at Beacon. There was a bed in the center of the back wall with a nightstand to the left of it with a chest in the back left corner. She looked to her right to see a large wardrobe shoved into the corner with a table right next to it, closer to the door.

Ruby changed out of the pajamas she was in and into her armor, her mind being forced to wander to what her friends and sister were up to at the moment. Everything was so hazy, she couldn't even remember what actually happened before she showed up in that dark, cold place. Ruby shook her head, choosing to focus on the mission at hand rather than the past. Ruby adjusted her armor, a little uncomfortable with the long underwear she was wearing rather than her usual leggings. Ruby felt a little strange in the room, like someone was watching her and it was making her uncomfortable.

Ruby exited the room and then the Chantry, exposing her to the chilled air of the frost covered encampment. She spotted Leliana releasing black birds that looked like crows into the air. Curiosity got the better of her, so she walked over to Leliana to figure out what she was doing.

"Um, Leliana? What are you doing?" Ruby questioned as she got to her.

"Sending word to some of the major groups in the area. The Templars, The Mages, the Arl of Redcliffe, and the Chantry are some. We need their support if we are going to be able to close the Breach." Leliana answered as the birds started to fly off.

"How much help are we going to need?"

"As much as we can get. Once we get responses from any potential allies, we will form a plan. Until then, you are free to do what you please. I would suggest meeting with our allies here, the smith, the quartermaster and the herbalist are just a few. I would also recommend meeting with Brianna's crew, since we will be working with them for quite some time." Leliana suggested. Ruby nodded and looked around, unsure of where to go first. Leliana tapped Ruby on the shoulder and pointed at the large building towards the front of the settlement.

"There is the tavern. When they aren't working, the Misfits usually spend their time there. I would suggest being careful, since they do get rough at times." Leliana advised. Ruby was now a little unsure of meeting Brianna's company now, but she was one of the few people she actually knew in this world. Ruby shrugged and started walking over to the tavern, hoping to find some friendly people there so she wasn't so alone. The fact she couldn't remember what happened to her before she was dropped into Thedas was frightening. All she could remember was she was on a mission with her team, her sister and friends.

She just hoped that they were okay, and they were probably worried sick about her. After all, she was only 16 and only in her second year at Beacon Academy, the school to teach young men and women to become Huntsman and Huntresses. Ruby shook her head, focusing on the task at hand; try and make some new friends. Ruby straightened up and headed for the door, when suddenly the door flew off its hinges and two large people came flying out of it. Ruby watched as the two massive individuals started to roll on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand on the other.

It was about a minute before the two stopped and Ruby got a good look at who, or what, they were. From what Ruby could tell, one was male and the other was female and they were both massive, at least 8ft tall. The most defining feature the two shared was that both of them had horns coming out of their heads as well as gray skin. The male's horns dipped down before curving straight up and looked like they had a bronze colored metal welded around them. The female only had one horn, the right one to be specific, the right horn curved to the right, then slightly back left and then fight again, making her horn look like something a dragon would have.

The left horn looked like it had been broken off close to the head, leaving only a broken piece attached to the left side of her head. Both of them had pointed ears like Brianna and Solas, so she thought that they were some kind of freaky elves. The male was wearing some kind of clothing that covered his upper torso, but not his stomach and he more shorts that were slightly longer than what Yang wore. The female wore armor that had a metal plate for the chest as well as metal greaves, but her arms were bare other than the leather gloves she wore. The two glared at each other for a moment before they started laughing and shook hands.

Ruby slowly slid passed the two and into the tavern in hopes of finding Brianna there, like she said she would be. The tavern was built in a T-shape, three long tables set up in the top with a few stands set up along the wall. At the far end was the bar set up with the usual bar with large kegs set up behind, Brianna sitting at the bar collecting pouches of coins from the other patrons. Brianna set all of the pouches on the table when she spotted Ruby and waved her over. Ruby slipped through the patrons, although any of them that noticed her instantly moved out of her way.

Ruby jumped up to the bar as Brianna held up two fingers, the bar tender nodding and filling two mugs with an amber liquid. Brianna tossed the bar tender one of the bags as they slid the mugs to them.

"So, how are you enjoying Haven?" Brianna questioned as she picked up her mug. Ruby simply looked at the large mug between her hands, wondering if she was even allowed to drink.

"It's kinda cold, but it seems like a nice enough place." Ruby responded as she took a small sniff of the drink before her. It smelled strange for an alcoholic drink, it smelled really fruity. Ruby finally decided to take a drink, lifting the mug to her face and taking a sip. The initial taste was pretty sweet, right up until she swallowed it and it started to burn her throat. Ruby started having a coughing fit as Brianna patted her back and chuckled.

"First drink?" Brianna questioned as she took a drink from her own mug. The burning in Ruby's throat finally stopped burning to the point where she could talk again.

"What was that?" Ruby coughed as she finally sat up straight."

"Some mead from the Free Marches. One of the few drinks that doesn't make you want to hurl or feel morbidly depressed."

"Why would you drink something like that?"

"I don't, but the Orlesians do. Bunch of damn weirdos. Anyway, I told you if you showed up, then you'd get to meet the crew."

Brianna downed her mug in a few more gulps, small streams of the mead flowing out of the corner of her lips. She slammed the mug down, wiped her mouth off and let out a satisfied sigh. She spun in her seat so she was now facing the patrons of the bar and called to her company.

"Misfits! Rally up!" She called, several of the patrons moving over to her, including the two horned individuals from earlier. Ruby looked at the group, also seeing Raphael and the girl from earlier. There was one more addition to the group was a woman that was about half a normal person's height with short black hair in pig tails. She wore dark brown leather armor that seemed like it was good for maneuvering, but didn't have a lot in the way of protection.

"Introduce yourselves." Brianna exclaimed as she leaned back against the bar. The large horned man stepped up, Ruby noticing the large staff he had on his back that had a small dragon statue as the head piece.

"Great Horns, Tal-Vashoth Knight Enchanter of the Misfits." The man replied with a deep voice. The next to step up was the woman he was fighting earlier, who now had a large greatsword on her back.

"Ataashi, Tal-Vashoth Reaver and heavy hitter." She introduced. Next was the short woman in the leather armor.

"Reka Temi, Dwarven Artificer Archer." She announced. Next was Raphael and the girl that he was with when Ruby woke up.

"Raphael Travelyn, formerly of the Templars." Raphael introduced formally.

"Rachel Travelyn, formerly of the Kirkwall Mage's Circle." She introduced. Ruby tilted her head slightly at the announcement of the names.

"You're siblings?" Ruby questioned. The two of them nodded as Rachel answered with a small smile.

"Twins actually. We grew up together until I was about 13 when my abilities started to manifest." Rachel answered as she took a seat next to Ruby.

"Abilities?"

Rachel nodded and raised her hand, a small flame developing in the pal of her hand. Ruby must have looked like a small child as she ogled at the magic before her. Rachel closed her hand, Ruby noticing a small amount of frost developing in the cracks of her fingers. She then opened her hand, revealing the small ice rose in the palm of her hand.

"That's amazing!" Ruby cheered as she clapped a bit. Rachel shook her hand out, the ice rose turning into water as it hit the floor. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the young girl's wonder, even though Rachel and her brother were just barely older than Ruby was.

"If only everyone saw it that way." Rachel sighed as she patted Ruby's shoulder.

"Oh yeah, the Templars. Wait, Raphael, didn't you say you were a Templar?"

Rachel looked down at the floor with a sigh as Raphael shook his head.

"Formerly a Templar. I abandoned my post when Knight Commander Meredith gave the order to purge the Circle. I… I couldn't do it. I couldn't turn my blade on my sister, on the people who weren't guilty of the crimes they were charged with." Raphael exclaimed, looking down at the ground. Ruby noticed that everyone in the bar had become very quiet, apparently this was a very touchy subject.

"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried." Ruby apologized, immediately feeling guilty that she had brought up something so painful. Rachel put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to ease some of Ruby's discomfort. Raphael did the same, only placing a hand on her knee with a smile.

"It's alright, Ruby. It's a pretty big historical event, the Mage Templar War. I just chose to stand with my sister, not to hurt her."

"That's really good."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, my big sister Yang. I hope she's doing okay."

Raphael patted Ruby's knee before leaning back, not sure on what to say to help the situation. She was just a kid lost in a world that was completely different than what she was used to, what do you say to comfort that? Ruby looked around and smiled, happy to be meeting people from the world that seemed like they were from different backgrounds and species. Ruby noticed that Brianna was looking around, like she lost something and needed to find it.

"What are you looking for?" Ruby questioned, a little concerned about Brianna looking around like she was.

"We're missing one. Anyone seen Malachi?" Brianna questioned as she stood up. Everyone started looking around and then all of them shrugged.

"Well go find him! Remember last time we left him alone?" Brianna reminded. Ruby noted that almost everyone looked up at their foreheads, then had a moment of horrible realization. Ruby was surprised at the speed some of them ran out of the tavern at was extremely surprising, the only ones left were Brianna and Raphael. Brianna looked at Raphael with a raised eyebrow, questioning why he was still sitting in the tavern.

"Aren't you going to go find him?" Brianna questioned. Raphael shook his head and remained in his seat, clearly not going to move. Ruby unconsciously took another sip of her drink, and then immediately started coughing again, but not as much this time. Brianna patting Ruby's back as Raphael moved to the seat next to Ruby.

"Doesn't this look like a sweet moment?" a new voice exclaimed from almost nowhere. Ruby looked around to try and find the source of the voice, but she wasn't able to find it. Brianna chuckled as she ordered another drink while Raphael looked generally annoyed. Almost in a plume of smoke, a man appeared in a chair across from them with crossed arms and an "eat shit" grin on his face. The man was as tall as Raphael, but he had short brown hair and dark brown eyes.

He wore leather armor like Reka, but his was more like Ruby's current armor. It was more like a coat, but was a black color and seemed more… thick, like there were several layers of leather under it. Ruby could see two long daggers at his hip, and they looked well used.

"Ruby, meet Malachi Black, our resident assassin." Brianna introduced before taking a gulp of her drink. Ruby observed the assassin's behavior, and she could easily see that he thought he was the greatest thing on the planet. The kind of guy who did whatever he wanted because he thought he could. Ruby was about to introduce herself, but Malachi held up his hand before she could.

"We've met, but you didn't know it." Malachi exclaimed as he stood up. He walked over to her, exaggerating each step until he was just a few inches away from her. He slowly bent forward until his mouth was right next to her ear and whispered into it.

"Nice underwear by the way, didn't have you pegged as a frilly kind of girl." Malachi whispered just loud enough so the group around him could hear him. Ruby's face immediately turned a deep red while Brianna spat out her drink. Ruby was about to slap Malachi across the face, but Raphael grabbed him by his collar and pulled him close.

"Apologize. Now." Raphael growled, looking like he was about to tear Malachi apart. Malachi simply smirked and looked Raphael up and down like he was trying to figure him out.

"What's this? Is the Templar sticking up for injustice? Or is he doing this for a more… personal reason?" Malachi questioned as he pushed against the Templar. The two were practically chest to chest, Raphael having the advantage with armor, but Malachi seeming like he would have speed.

"You invaded her privacy by abusing your abilities to watch her undress. Apologize to her."

"Is that really what's getting under your armor? Or is it that you wanted to see what was under _her_ armor first?"

"That is not it, you disrespectful scum."

"I can see it. She's a cute girl, but I bet she'd be a real wild card in bed."

Brianna spat out her drink again, looking angry with Malachi's comment, but nowhere near as angry as Raphael. The Templar looked like he was about to swing on the Assassin when Ruby put a hand on Raphael's arm, stopping him from doing anything. Ruby put her mug on the bar as she hopped off her seat, moving so she was just in front of Malachi, who still had his "eat shit" smile. It seemed like, no matter what, that smile was going to stay on his face, even when Ruby slapped him across the face. Malachi looked back to Ruby as a deep red mark appeared on his face, his smile looking like it only got bigger.

"Feisty, I like that in a girl. Definitely a wild card in bed." Malachi commented. Ruby knew that slapping him again would only make things worse, so she couldn't help but stand with a pissed off look on her face.

"Malachi, training yard. One hour." Brianna exclaimed as she set her mug down. Malachi nodded and sighed, patting Raphael on the arm as he winked at Ruby before leaving.

"Completely worth it." Malachi commented as he walked out of the tavern. Brianna shook her head as Raphael returned to his seat, obviously extremely pissed off.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he pays for what he just did. Feel free to swing by and see his punishment." Brianna sighed as she turned in her seat to finish her drink. Ruby did the same and took a large gulp of her drink, trying to forget her embarrassing moment and severe privacy invasion. Raphael turned and ordered a drink as well, trying to numb his anger. Ruby took another large gulp from her drink when Brianna pulled it away from her.

"You might want to take it easy. Can't have the Herald of Andraste stumbling around Haven." Brianna exclaimed, reminding Ruby that she was some kind of symbol to the people. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed, remembering that she was supposed to meet some of the people that were key to the Inquisition.

"Um, Raphael? Can I ask you something?" Ruby questioned, wanting to get something off of her mind.

"Of course." Raphael answered before taking a sip from his mug.

"Did you… really want to see under my armor?"

Both Brianna and Raphael spat out their drink, unfortunately soaking the poor bartender, who then took their mugs from them.

"Ruby, I respect your abilities and decision to join the Inquisition. I would not stoop to Malachi's level of such… perversion."

"Okay, I was just wondering. I'm going to go meet with some more of the Inquisition. I'll see you guys around."

Ruby turned in her seat and jumped off, heading out the tavern to see the rest of Haven. Brianna and Raphael remained seated, both of them unsure of what to do now that they didn't have their drinks.

"So… just respect for the Herald?" Brianna questioned as she wrapped her fingers against the bar.

"Of course, Ma'am."

"You are such a liar. You've got a soft spot for Ruby. I see it, the company sees it, and worst of all, Malachi sees it. You know he likes getting under your skin."

"I would really appreciate it if we dropped this conversation."

"One last thing, I'd watch Malachi if I were you. Seems he's taken to Ruby as well."

Raphael turned in his seat and walked out as Brianna started to chuckle, amused by the small competition that was developing.

O00000O00000O

Ruby tried her best to get her mind off of the fact that she was being peeped on, it made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She shook her head, knowing that it was just one individual and not the entire Inquisition, but it was still in the back of her mind. She walked out the main gate, seeing the shimmering lake that laid just beyond the gates of the settlement. There was a large training area to her right, soldiers clashing blades against shields, sending sparks and clangs through the area. There were several tents and training dummies set up near the lake, Ruby only guessing that Haven itself couldn't house everyone the Inquisition employed.

To the left she spotted a small building with a forge next to it, Ruby could only assume that it was the smith that had supplied her armor and where Crescent Rose was. She sped up her pace until she reached the smith, several people working hard to make blades, shields and armor. There was a man that looked like he'd seen just about everything and then some, so she guessed he was Harrit.

"Um, excuse me? Mr. Harrit?" Ruby questioned as the man finished up his conversation. The man was bald with some grey hair still clinging to the sides while he maintained a grey beard and mustache.

"It's just Harrit. So, you're the Herald? Thought you'd be taller, but that doesn't matter. How's the armor fitting you?" Harrit questioned as he went to the tool bench.

"It fits well, and warm too. It's really nice work."

"Good to hear. My armor may not stand up to demons and dragons, but it will against bandits and soldiers. So, you're probably here about your… weapon."

Harrit turned with Crescent Rose in his arms, Ruby over joyed that her weapon was safe and sound and not just lying on the ground somewhere. Harrit handed it off, Ruby taking her weapon and cradling it in her arms.

"Magnificent weapon, it is. One of my assistants nearly blew his head off trying to figure out how to get it open. What exactly is your weapon?" Harrit questioned as he walked to check on something one person was working on.

"It's a scythe combined with a customizable, high impact sniper rifle."

"A what?"

"It's also a gun."

"Is that like a smaller form of a cannon? It's the only other thing that can do something like that."

"Kinda. Is Crescent Rose really the only gun here? No gunpowder?" Ruby questioned, knowing that she really needed to conserve her ammo if there wasn't.

"Only other thing that could do what that does would be Qunari gaatlok. Stuff explodes when you ignite a primer on it. Too bad the oxmen guard that secret like their lives depend on it, probably does when you think about the Qun."

"Um… I don't really understand what you're talking about." Ruby admitted. She had no idea what the Qun was, but she did remember that Great Horns and Ataashi introduced themselves as Qunari, so they might have an idea.

"Go talk to the horn heads in that mercenary company. They'll be able to give you a better idea of what the Qun is. Anyway, talk with me about adding any upgrades to your armor or any… normal… weapons you come across. Can't just slap a new hilt on in the field."

"Talk with you about upgrades, got it. It was nice meeting you, Harrit. Thanks for the armor and taking care of Crescent Rose for me."

"Any time, Herald."

"Ruby, my name is Ruby Rose."

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby turned to start heading back to find Cassandra or Leliana, but she was unfortunately met with a familiar face; Malachi Black. He was leaning on a small fence that was next to the smith that looked like it was meant to hold a horse or a cow, his smug smile still on his face.

"Hey there Ruby. Figured you'd make your way here." Malachi exclaimed as he stood in her path. To be honest, Malachi was the last person Ruby wanted to see since he was a pervert, and a skillful one at that.

"What do _you_ want?" Ruby practically snapped at him.

"Oh, you know, talk with the famed Herald of Andraste."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?"

"I'd rather let the bosses tell you about that. They've gathered in the Chantry, no doubt trying to figure out where you've ventured off to."

"Well, thanks for telling me. I'll make my way there now."

"One more thing."

Malachi took another step forward, putting them at an arms distance, Ruby questioning whether she could get in another slap.

"I would like to… apologize… for my actions earlier. I shouldn't have spied on you when you were changing. I'm… sorry."

Ruby was honestly a little surprised that the pervert assassin would even apologize to her for what he did, especially since he didn't seem too sorry about it earlier.

"You're… apologizing?" Ruby questioned, trying to understand the assassin's thinking.

"Yes. I may be an Assassin, but I try not to be a complete asshole." Malachi exclaimed as he crossed his arms. He leaned forward once again, leaving only a few inches between their faces.

"Especially not to such a cute girl like yourself." Malachi whispered before turning and walking away. Ruby felt her face turn pink unsure of how to feel about what just transpired. No one had really called her cute, since they were mostly paying attention to her sister Yang because she was more… developed than her. She shook her head to try and get the thoughts out of her head and started making her way to the Chantry to meet the bosses. She was sure that she would be seeing Cassandra and Leliana, and the Commander she saw earlier, but couldn't remember his name.

She entered the Chantry and headed for the War Room, the room where Cassandra had restarted the Inquisition. Inside was Cassandra, Leliana, the Commander as well as a woman she hadn't met yet. She was just as tall as everyone else but had bronze skin with black hair that was tied back into a messy bun. She was wearing a pretty and golden frilly dress with puffs on her shoulders while she carried this age's version of a clipboard with an ink well and candle. All of them looked to Ruby, immediately making her uncomfortable.

"Um… hi?" Ruby exclaimed as she waved awkwardly. Cassandra walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to make her feel a little less awkward.

"Ruby, allow me to introduce the backbone of the Inquisition. You've already met Commander Cullen." Cassandra introduced. Cullen did a small bow before he spoke.

"We met briefly on the battlefield. I must say, for one so young, you have very refine combat skills with your… unorthodox weapon." Cullen exclaimed.

"Thanks. My uncle Qrow (Crow) taught me. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing." Ruby explained.

"This is out ambassador, Josephine Montilyet." Cassandra continued.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rose. I hope your accommodations have been to your liking." Josephine greeted.

"Everything has been good so far, and it's nice to meet you, Ambassador."

"And you've met Sister Leliana." Cassandra finished up.

"My position requires a touch of-." Leliana began. Unfortunately for her, she was cut off by Cassandra.

"She is our spymaster." Cassandra interrupted.

Leliana looked a little irritated for Cassandra interrupting, but she pushed it aside and let Cassandra continue.

"Right now, we are not in the best position." Cassandra confessed.

"We currently have no army, no supply line, and now, no Chantry support." Josephine explained. That sounded bad for an organization that supposed to be saving the world, and Ruby knew that. Although she wasn't sure what the Chantry had to do with it.

"So, why is the Chantry's support so important?" Ruby questioned, trying to understand everything.

"Well, the Chantry provides a unified voice of religion. They hold a large amount of power in everything. Without their support, or worse, their unification against us, then we are in a more difficult position." Josephine explained, all of it sort of making sense to Ruby.

"I… guess that makes sense? So, what is our first move?" Ruby questioned.

"We need a way to close the Breach. I suggest that we approach the Templars for their help to suppress the Breach." Cullen suggested. Leliana stepped up with her own idea.

"We could also go to the Mages for assistance. According to Solas, enough power poured into the Mark could close the Breach." Leliana added. Ruby noticed that Cullen didn't seem too fond of that suggestion.

"Or it could overload the Mark and cut off our only way to close the Breach." Cullen argued. It seemed like the two were going to argue approaching the groups when Josephine brought up a good point.

"Unfortunately, we aren't prepared to approach either group. Right now, everyone is calling Ruby the Herald of Andraste for what she did at the Breach. The Chantry has denounced her, and deemed us heretics for harboring her." Josephine updated. There was a giant hole in the sky, and the Chantry was more worried about the Inquisition and her being some kind of hero.

"Wait, so they are more concerned about us than the Breach? That makes no sense. We should be working together!" Ruby pointed out. Everyone had a look on their faces like they knew that was what was _supposed_ to happen, but it wasn't actually happening.

"They see you as a threat. People believe that the Maker sent you, and that terrifies the Chantry. But right now, we need to focus on gaining allies." Cassandra updated and reminded. Ruby looked at the map before them and noticed the knife that was stabbed over a place called "Hinterlands"

"Is this someplace important?" Ruby questioned as she pointed at the knife.

"That, is a lead we have on a possible ally. The Crossroads has been a very populated place since the Mage Templar War began. We've sent troops there to help but they're not faring as well as originally hope. Fortunately, we've received help from a woman they call the Golden Dragon."

"Golden Dragon? Yang!"

"Yes, how did you..?"

"That's my sister! If we can get to her, then she'll definitely help us!"

"Excellent! Having the aid of someone who has already made a name will definitely help us gain a reputation. Also Ruby will have some family here." Cullen exclaimed. Ruby was overjoyed to hear that Yang was here too, and maybe the rest of her friends were as well.

"When can we get out there? I want to help the people and Yang." Ruby questioned.

"We'll have some scouts go to the Hinterlands to see what the situation is like, then we can head out." Leliana answered.

"Then we're off to the Hinterlands!" Ruby cheered as she threw a fist into the air.

 **A/N:** Sorry it took so long everyone, but here you go! The next chapter of Young Inquisitor is here and things are just getting started! PM or review for any thoughts, comments, or concerns with the chapter. Until next time!

-Chief


	3. Chapter 3: The Hinterlands

**A/N:** Heyo! So many responses to all of the new characters. Just to let everyone know, yes, I did mess up with a bit of RWBY lore and yes, I am ignoring Season 3 of RWBY because I like my heart in one piece.

Chapter 3: The Hinterlands

Ruby gathered her things, making sure to pack some of the heath potions and Crescent Rose. She was headed to the place known as the Hinterlands. According to Leliana, the Hinterlands was mostly a fertile agricultural land with a bunch of farms. The major place that was in the Hinterlands was Redcliffe Village, where someone called the Arl of Redcliffe lived, and the Crossroads, where Yang was meant to be. Apparently the Arl of Redcliffe was someone who they needed their support from in order to really get the Inquisition going.

From what Leliana's spies and scouts told them, the Crossroads was currently a refuge to people who were escaping the Mage Templar War. Apparently, since the Conclave, the Mages and Templars had started fighting even more, both sides blaming the other for what happened. She didn't understand why the Mages and Templars felt the need to fight to the death, but then again nothing in this world made sense. The main thing Ruby was excited about was hearing that Yang might be here! She shouldered her bag and put Crescent Rose into her new holster in the small of her back.

She headed out of her temporary room, meeting Cassandra by the front doors of the Chantry, all of her gear on her back. Cassandra urged that Ruby should travel since the area was pretty volatile with the Mage and Templars fighting again. Varric and Solas would also be joining them, with the Misfits acting as additional security. It would take some time to get to the Hinterlands, but Ruby was practically bouncing as she met up with Cassandra. Cassandra looked down at the small girl, smiling to see her excitement.

Cassandra patted Ruby on the shoulder in an effort to calm her down just a little bit since she was still viewed as the Herald of Andraste. Varric approached the two, adjusting his sleeves with Bianca on his back.

"Well, you ready to see if you've got family here, Kid?" Varric questioned, crossing his arms across his broad chest. Varric was curious about the young girl and the world she came from, since she could do things that no one else really could.

"I am Varric. I really want to know if Yang can remember anything from before." Ruby admitted.

"I'm curious, Kid. How can you move so fast? I've seen some pretty fast people, but you? You definitely take the cake."

"Well, that's my Semblance."

"Alright, now explain _that_ to me."

"Well, a Semblance is an ability that is manifested by your Aura, the physical manifestation of the soul to protect you."

"Well, if it makes sense to you, Kid. Doesn't make much sense to me, but hey, I've told wilder tales myself."

"I know, you told me one yourself." Cassandra exclaimed, crossing her arms. Varric seemed to just roll his eyes as Solas approached, leaning on his staff as he stopped.

"Well, it seems that we are prepared for our travels. Herald, are you ready to go?" Solas questioned, looking to the youngest one among them for a response.

"Ready to go! Aren't we going to get the Misfits? They are our extra security." Ruby pointed out as she bounced her bag, pulling on the straps of her bag.

"Indeed they are. I'm sure they are ready to go." Solas exclaimed, standing up right and putting his staff on her back. As soon as he did, there was a large explosion just outside the gates, Cassandra dropping her head as she made a noise of disgust.

"That is probably them." Cassandra exclaimed as she started jogging towards the front gates, the other three following her. The group made it out of the gates, seeing the two mages of the misfits, Rachel and Great Horns, dueling with magic. Great Horns threw his arms to the side, a red rune appearing in front of him as 10 small fireballs flew out of it. Before the fireballs slammed into her, Rachel threw her staff forward, a light green fist flying from her staff and slamming into Great Horns. The two flew back from their attacks, both of them groaning from the attacks.

Ruby scanned the training field, seeing that all of the Misfits were currently training. Ataashi was in a duel with Reka, the dwarf archer unloading arrows at the Qunari, who was swinging her massive blade and either deflecting or breaking the arrows before they hit her. Ruby watched as the dwarf nimbly dodged the massive warrior's blade, sliding under Ataashi's legs and dropping, what Ruby thought was, multicolored rocks at the Qunari's feet. The Qunari braced herself as the rocks detonated in an elemental explosion, Ruby seeing fire, ice and electricity. She couldn't help but think back to her first day at Beacon when she accidently blew up her friend and partner, Weiss Schnee.

It was a small accident involving a poorly sealed Dust bottle and Ruby sneezing, causing a small elemental explosion herself. The last match was between Malachi and Raphael, which was a match that practically hypnotized Ruby since neither of them were wearing shirts. Raphael was very… broad and muscular while Raphael was very toned, Ruby feeling her mouth go slightly slack as she watched the fight. The two used their signature weapons, Malachi using twin daggers while Raphael using his longsword and shield, the Assassin's daggers clashing against the Templar's shield. Ruby brushed some of her hair behind her ear as Raphael swung his blade and revealed his broad chest to her, Ruby feeling her face turn pink.

"Hey Herald! Quit eyeballing my boys!" Brianna called out as she walked over to the group from the recruits combat training. Ruby saw both Raphael and Malachi look over at her, so she dropped her gaze down to her feet. She was embarrassed that she was caught staring at guys since she was generally in the shadows. Brianna clapped Ruby's back as she laughed, Varric even getting a good chuckle out of the situation.

"Don't sweat it, Kid. It's normal for a girl your age to start taking an interest in boys." Brianna exclaimed as she crossed her arms.

"Shut up! What were you doing over with the troops anyway?" Ruby questioned as she crossed her arms with a red face.

"I was talking with Commander Cullen. He said he had some speeches planned but couldn't get to them. I asked him about them and he got all flustered, it was cute." Brianna answered, looking over at Cullen, who was training a few soldiers himself.

"Can we go now? I want to find Yang." Ruby exclaimed as she started going to the caravan that was going to take them to the Hinterlands. The trip was a decent length, about a day long before they finally reached the camp that was made near the Crossroads, the area too dangerous to approach. Ruby hopped out of the caravan and was told to find someone called "Scout Harding". Ruby looked around until a voice behind her greeted.

"Hi there." The voice exclaimed, making Ruby spin around without seeing the individual responsible. Ruby finally remembered something important, so she looked down to see the person who greeted her, a brown haired dwarf woman. She was the same size as Varric and wore similar armor, focusing leather and small metal plates. She had short brown hair that was tied back into a bun with a cute face and brown eyes that said she was very kind.

"So, you're the Herald? Thought you'd be taller. Anyway, I'm Scout Harding." Harding introduced. Ruby smiled, happy to meet someone so pleasant.

"Hi Scout Harding, I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Ruby." Harding responded.

"Wait, Harding? Have you ever been to Hightown?" Varric questioned, moving up to Ruby's side.

"No, why?" Harding responded.

"Because that would make you Harding in… never mind." Varric replied before cutting himself off.

"So, Scout Harding, what's the news from the Hinterlands? Anything about Y-… the Golden Dragon?" Ruby questioned, remembering that Yang had made a name for herself while she was there.

"Well, the Crossroads has been a refuge for people hoping to avoid the war. We have some troops there, but the Templars and Mages have really been hitting them hard. Seems like they're attacking anything that moves, even if they aren't Templars or Mages." Harding answered, walking with Ruby to the nearby ledge. Ruby looked out at the landscape before her, thinking that it was absolutely stunning. The hills were green and flourishing, even though there was a crumbling castle on a ridge on the other side of a small dip between them.

"Which way to the crossroads?" Ruby questioned, looking over at Scout Harding. She pointed to the path below them, Ruby following it to the left of the camp, so it was pretty easy to follow.

"Just follow that path and it should take you straight to the Crossroads." Scout Harding replied.

"Yay! Thanks!" Ruby thanked as she pulled Crescent Rose off her back and followed the path. She went by Brianna, who seemed like she was formulating a plan with her company.

"Alright, Raphael, you take Great Horns and Reka and enter from the west. Rachel, take Malachi and Ataashi and enter from the east. I'll be going with the main group and keeping the Herald safe." Brianna ordered, the two leaders responding. Raphael pulled his bucket helmet from his hip before heading over to Ruby.

"Good luck, Herald, and stay safe." Raphael exclaimed as he put his helmet on. Ruby smiled a bit, thinking that it was cute for Raphael to care about her like that.

"It's just Ruby, and don't worry, I will." Ruby replied, reminding him of what her name was.

"Of course, Ruby."

"Don't worry, I bet she can easily take care of herself." Malachi exclaimed, sneaking up behind Ruby and sliding his arm around her shoulders. Ruby slid away from him since she still wasn't comfortable around Malachi and didn't know exactly where his moral line was. "Relax Ruby, I'm not going to pull anything on you. Just want you alive long enough for you to forgive me, maybe even consider me a friend."

"The only thing I consider you is a pervert." Ruby replied as she turned her back to him.

"We'll work past that point, eventually. Well, see you in the Crossroads!" Malachi exclaimed, returning to his group which seemed a little annoyed with him. Raphael returned to his group and they separated, heading in their assigned directions while Brianna walked to the main group with her axe drawn. Ruby nodded and the main group started moving towards the Crossroads, following the trail. They made it to a sign post, which easily pointed in the direction they needed to go. They followed the trail a bit more, already seeing clusters of bodies from all sides, Ruby doing her best to ignore them and not vomit.

They were close when Ruby started to hear the familiar blasts from Ember Celica, Yang's shotgun gauntlets. They rounded a corner to see two Inquisition soldiers trying to fend off three Templars when the Templar's were blown away with a fiery concussive blast, Ruby seeing the familiar golden glow of Yang's blonde hair. Ruby picked up her pace, seeing that there were more Templars than originally expected. Yang blasted a Templar in the chest, sending him flying into a wall when she spotted Ruby, a wide smile growing across her face. Yang still had her long, flowing golden blonde hair that went all the way to the small of her back with her lilac eyes that would change to red every once in a while.

Instead of her normal clothing, she wore a metal body piece like Ataashi, and metal greaves with her normal black short shorts. Her golden gauntlets with red shells stood in contrast to the black metal armor she was wearing. Yang was a little too distracted by Ruby, the younger sister seeing the Templar in leather armor coming up behind her. Ruby checked her rear as she deployed Crescent Rose, then fired a round to launch herself forward. She flew past Yang and swung her scythe, slamming the blade into the leather clad fighter.

Ruby slid by the Templar, but then she felt a warmth splash against her as she saw dark crimson fly by her. Ruby slowly turned to see the lower half of the Templar still standing, blood pouring from the severed half while the lower half was lying a few feet behind her with the severed end towards her, blood starting to pool.

" _So… much blood… there's so much… blood."_ Ruby stammered in her head as her eyes locked on the Templar corpse as the second half fell to the ground. _"I… I murdered that man… I killed him… I'm a murderer…"_

"Ruby! Look out!" She heard Yang yell, but Ruby was still in shock that she just killed someone, feeling their blood covering her back. There was a dull clang, probably because everything had become dull to her. She slowly turned her head, seeing Malachi's black armor and daggers holing back a longsword from a man in leather armor, but not the same as the Templar. Ruby wanted to help, she wanted to move as several light blue runes appeared at her feet, but she was unable to move. She then saw Raphael's characteristic Templar armor appear by Malachi, throwing his arms as a small dust wave that caused the runes to vanish.

"Get Ruby out of here!" She heard Malachi shout as he pushed the man back, driving his daggers into the man's chest. She felt someone's arms wrap around her and start to pull her, Ruby not able to do anything other than hold onto Crescent Rose. Ruby saw the fighting going on, more blood flying as spells and steel tore at both sides. Her sight was cut off when she was brought into some kind of log cabin, but everything was still dull to her. She was finally set into a chair, Yang appearing in her view with a concerned look on her face.

"Hey Ruby, you still with me Sis?" Yang questioned as she held Ruby's face in her hands. Ruby was still unresponsive, so Yang took the time to start cleaning her off, grabbing a rag and removing Ruby's blood stained cloak. Yang continued to clean Ruby off when she finally said something.

"I… I killed him." Ruby stammered quietly, Yang not sure if she was trying to accept or deny the action. Yang went back to her sister, putting her hands on her shoulders as she looked into her dull silver eyes.

"You had to, Ruby. If you didn't he would have killed me without a second thought." Yang replied, trying to get her sister back to reality. Yang had been in this weird place for a while, so she had been through this kind of thing, the horror of killing someone. Back on Remnant, the only real threat were Grimm, mindless creatures of Darkness that were attracted to negative emotion. They never had to deal with killing a person, at least not directly since they did crash a train once. Luckily for her, an Inquisition soldier named Corporal Vale helped her come to terms with what she had done.

"I'm… a murderer." Ruby quietly proclaimed, still miles away from Yang.

"You did it to defend me, to defend the people of the Crossroads. He would have killed a lot more people if you didn't stop him." Yang assured, pulling her sister into her shoulder. "Just let it all out, Sis."

Ruby finally came to her senses, wrapping her arms around her sister and started crying into her shoulder. Ruby was still having trouble coming to terms with what she did, she still couldn't accept that she had killed a man, worse to have his blood literally on her hands… and her back. She cried, and cried, and then some more until she couldn't cry anymore. Ruby finally pulled her head from Yang's shoulder, her big sister wiping off.

"There, are we feeling better?" Yang questioned, putting her hands back on Ruby's shoulders.

"Not really… but the shock has worn off." Ruby replied, still looking at the floor.

"That will take some time. Oh Ruby!" Yang cheered as she embraced her little sister, Ruby groaning from the force of the hug. The hug lasted a while before Yang finally let her go to figure out what she knew.

"Where have you been?! All of us were so worried when you went through that mirror!" Yang scolded as she stood up, crossing her arms. Mirror? What mirror was Yang talking about? And if Yang was here, would that mean that Blake and Weiss were with her.

"Yang, did the rest of you follow me through some mirror?" Ruby questioned, trying to figure out what happened.

"Yeah, you went through some weird mirror, like it sucked you into it. I went in after you and so did Blake and Weiss. After that… it's a little hazy, but I woke up in the woods and found this place under attack. Kinda had no choice but to help the people. I'm not sure where Weiss and Blake went, but they're capable people so I'm sure they're fine." Yang responded. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm not sure what happened after I went through some mirror, but I woke up in some dark and cold place. After that I was found by a group that called themselves the "Inquisition" and ended up joining them. Also I have this weird mark on my hand." Ruby answered as she held out her Mark hand, Yang jumping a bit at the green light.

"Where did you get that?" Yang questioned, slowly moving back to her sister.

"I don't know. I woke up with it. But I can use it to seal the rifts that have been showing up. I even got the Breach to stop growing."

"Wow, seems like you've been doing a lot since you got here. How have you been handling everything?"

"Well, as best I can. I mean, I can't really just start freaking out at every little thing that is new to me."

"Yeah, that would be pretty stupid. So, tell me what you know about this place. I've learned a bit myself so let's put our heads together." Yang chuckled as she patted the top of Ruby's head.

"Well, I've learned there are several races; human, elf, dwarf and Qunari."

"I've seen humans and a few elves that pass through. I haven't met any dwarves or… what was the last one?"

"Qunari. They're pretty easy to spot since they're really tall with grey skin and horns."

"Like those two that showed up with you?"

"Yep, Great Horns and Ataashi." Ruby answered as Yang pulled a chair up to her sister and sat down. "And then there's Varric and Reka, they're dwarves, but Varric doesn't have a beard."

"That's the one with the crossbow? Looks like it fell off his face and onto his chest if you ask me." Yang chuckled, leaning back in her chair.

"There is one thing that has been bothering me. How are our weapons still firing? I mean, Dust shouldn't be active outside of Remnant's atmosphere."

"I wondered that myself, so I talked to the mages that didn't try to kill me. They said our Dust might be reacting with the Lyrium on this world." Yang answered as she started to remove the armor she was wearing.

"Lyrium? What's that?" Ruby questioned as Yang set down the metal chest and back piece, revealing her yellow low cut top.

"Apparently it's magic in its raw form. Only dwarves are able to mine the stuff since they're immune to magic, and something called the Chantry practically controls the Lyrium trade." Yang answered, putting her brown half jacket on before removing her metal greaves. Ruby leaned back in her chair, taking a deep breath to clear her mind. Everything was getting crazy, and she had no idea what to do about it.

"So Ruby, why did you join the Inquisition? Seems like a rushed decision." Yang questioned as she sat back down.

"Do you know about the Conclave? The explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes?"

"Yeah, it's why a lot of people are here. They said it was supposed to be a peace meeting the Templars and the Mages, with leader of the Chantry, Divine Justinia IV, acting as a mediator. That is, until the whole place exploded and created the Breach. Ruby, were you there?"

"Apparently I was. The Divine call out to me, but I don't remember a thing. Apparently people don't want me around since people seem to think that I'm the Herald of someone called Andraste."

"I learned about her. She was the one that freed Thedas from the control of a place called the Tevinter Imperium and spread the word of the Maker, Thedas' omnipotent being. She loved the maker so much, that her husband betrayed her and sold her out to the Imperium. It's a really sad story. So you're the Herald of Andraste I've heard so much about. My little sis, doing big things in the new world."

"Yeah, but I joined them because they agreed to protect me from anyone that might harm me. And that they are trying to really fix the world that is kinda falling apart, so I kinda wanted to help. They might even know something on how to get us back to Remnant."

"That's true. So, are you feeling up to going outside?" Yang questioned as she stood up. Ruby nodded, collapsing Crescent Rose into its condensed form and putting it back onto her back. Yang went to the door, an assuring smile on her face as she opened the door, Ruby taking the lead out and seeing that most of the mess was already cleaned up with a large banner with the Inquisition symbol on it at the center of the town. Ruby looked around and saw Cassandra standing with the Misfits, Brianna talking with Cassandra about a very serious matter. Ruby approached them with Yang right behind her, Cassandra and Brianna stopping their conversation to speak with Ruby.

"Herald, the Misfits have volunteered to stay behind and work with Corporal Vale to help the people of the Crossroads." Cassandra exclaimed, Brianna rolling her eyes at the comment. It made Ruby think that the Misfits didn't exactly volunteer for the job they were given.

"That's good. Cassandra, this is my big sister, Yang Xiao Long. Yang, this is Cassandra Pentagast, one of the founders of the Inquisition." Ruby introduced, hoping that they would get along.

"Nice to meet you Cassandra, thanks for looking after Ruby for me." Yang exclaimed as she held out her hand to Cassandra. The Seeker looked at Yang with a raised eyebrow, wondering why she would walk around so… exposed. Cassandra took Yang's hand and shook it before responding.

"A pleasure, Yang. I assure you, Ruby is a very capable woman. She can easily take care of herself." Cassandra answered, her arms returning to their natural resting position, one hand on her hilt and the other on her side.

"Yeah, I'm just a worried big sister is all. So, you're trying to save the world?"

"That is the plan."

"Well, I'm in. Can't just let my sister run around being the hero without me."

"Very well, welcome to the Inquisition, Yang Xiao Long."

Yang put a hand Ruby's shoulder, happy to know that she could be with her sister again. There was a small chorus of 'awws' from the Misfits, Ruby remembering to introduce them.

"Yang, these are the Misfits, a mercenary company led by Brianna White-Steel. She's really nice and cool." Ruby introduced. Brianna stepped up and took Yang's extended hand, the two exchanging a tight grip before releasing and exchanging words.

"So, you're the Yang Ruby has been talking about. The older sister variety?" Brianna questioned as she leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Yes I am. So, you've been friendly with my sister." Yang replied as she mimicked the pose.

"I have. Good girl. Word of warning for two of my troops. They got eyes for your sister." Brianna warned, a devious smile on her face as she looked back at her troops. Yang leaned to the side to look over the group, seeing four of the members scoot away, leaving the heavily armored man and the lightly armored man with daggers.

"I can only guess which two." Yang replied, stepping around Brianna as she cracked her knuckles. Ruby tried to catch Yang before she could break Raphael or Malachi, but Brianna stopped her as Yang got to the two of them.

"And just to let you know, the black armored one peeked at your sister changing!" Brianna exclaimed, putting a horribly worried face on Malachi. Ruby watched as Yang grabbed the front of Malachi's armor and pulled him up, the Assassin clearly accepting his fate.

"Is that true? You peeking at my little sister?" Yang questioned, her free fist tightening as Malachi noted her lilac eyes turn a furious red.

"Can't really lie when my boss is the one saying it. Yes, I-. "Malachi sighed before answering. That was before Yang drove her fist straight through Malachi's face, everyone reeling from the blow that knocked the Assassin out. Yang dropped the unconscious Assassin and turned to the Templar, who currently had his hands up by his shoulders.

"You got a thing for my sister?" Yang questioned, ready to punch the Templar as well.

"I have the utmost respect for your sister. I wouldn't dare do such a thing to her." Raphael replied, doing his best not to anger the blonde brawler any more than she already was.

"Uh huh, I'll be keeping my eye on you."

Yang turned and returned to her sister, who had a deep red face, obviously embarrassed of her older sister's actions. Brianna, however, found the entire situation hilarious and was currently laughing her ass off.

"Why did you do that!?" Ruby quietly hissed, looking over at the two men that apparently fancied her.

"What? You think I would just let a guy who watched you undress get away with it?" Yang replied, crossing her arms.

"Did you have to threaten Raphael too?"

"Yeah, if he likes you then I have to threaten him. Why? Ruby… do you like them?"

"What!? No! Shut up!"

Ruby spun around, putting her back to Yang, who proceeded to chuckle, thinking it was adorable for her little sister to start developing crushes. Ruby looked up from the ground, seeing Cassandra walking over to them with a woman who was wearing something similar to what the Divine was wearing in the memory at the Temple. The difference was this woman was younger looking with light brown skin.

"Herald, this is Mother Giselle. She is a Cleric of the Chantry and wishes to help our cause." Cassandra introduced, the mother giving a small bow, Ruby returning it.

"Pardon me, but I did not think the Herald of Andraste was one so… young." The Mother exclaimed, Ruby noting she had the same accent as Sister Leliana.

"It's okay. You aren't the first one to say that, and I'm sure you won't be the last. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mother Giselle. I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"And a pleasure to you too, Ms. Rose."

"So, you want to help the Inquisition?"

"I do, please, follow me."

Mother Giselle turned and started walking, Ruby following her. Yang attempted to go with her sister, but Cassandra stood in her path.

"Let her go, she has duties to attend to as the Herald of Andraste. Come, you can help me with something else." Cassandra replied, leading Yang to the Misfits, who were currently climbing a path that lead to a small outcrop of rock that over looked the Crossroads.

"I've heard the Chantry's denouncement of you and the Inquisition. Some are grandstanding, and look to increase their own power and become the next Divine. Some are simply terrified. So many good people, senselessly taken from us." Mother Giselle exclaimed, stopping in front of the log cabin.

"I've been told it was a tragedy. I don't know any of the people that were involved in the Conclave, but it is still sad to see so many people die when it was meant to be a place of peace." Ruby responded as she looked out over the Crossroads.

"Fear shakes us to our core, but it does not make us unreasonable. I tell you this, go to them. Speak with the Chantry in Val Royeaux and let them see you for who you truly are."

"You want me to talk to them? I don't think they even want to see me, let alone hear what I have to say. Why would I go talk to them?"

"Their power is in their unified voice. All you need to do is make some of them doubt, then they shall lose power over you."

Ruby looked out at the Crossroads again, seeing people mill about, carrying backpacks or bundles of food and clothing. The sight was saddening that there was no one helping these people… until now.

"Thank you, Mother Giselle, for everything you've done to help these people, and to help us." Ruby thanked, looking up at the Mother with a smile.

"It was no trouble, Ruby. I will go to Haven and find the one who would take the most interest in the names I have. Clerics and other Mothers that would prove useful to befriend." Mother Giselle responded, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Sister Leliana would be the one to talk to."

"Then I shall speak with her. Until we meet again, Ruby Rose."

Mother Giselle turned and headed to the remaining injured people, intent on making sure that everyone was taken care of before she left. Ruby smiled as she headed to Varric and Solas, who were waiting patiently by the Inquisition banner, chatting idly.

"Hey guys. Whatcha talking about?" Ruby questioned as she got to them.

"We are discussing his latest book, _The Tale of the Champion._ " Solas answered.

"Yeah, that one was a best seller, not for the best of reasons, but a best seller none the less." Varric replied, crossing his arms with a sigh.

"What's it about?" Ruby questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"It's about my friend Hawke and her time in Kirkwall. It was the people's way of seeing what was happening in Kirkwall, and how the Mage Templar War started."

"That sounds like something I should read."

"Well, be ready for the end. This isn't one of those 'happily ever after' tales."

"Oh… thanks for the warning."

The conversation kinda died after that, luckily Cassandra and Yang walked over to them with some news.

"The Misfits will be taking care of the Crossroads for now. Herald? Do you know what our next move would be?" Cassandra exclaimed and questioned.

"Well, Mother Giselle said that I should talk to the Chantry in Val Royeaux, try and get them to see that I'm not some huge threat." Ruby responded, putting her hands behind her back.

"Well, it is one method we can go about. It makes sense to speak with the Chantry, if we can get them to disagree or even doubt, then we may buy ourselves some time."

"That's what Mother Giselle said!"

"Very well. We should return to Haven and plan our next move."

"And just when I thought we'd be out adventuring the wilderness." Varric sighed.

"Perhaps another time. For now, we have more pressing matters at hand." Solas stated, causing Varric to sigh. Ruby headed back to the cabin, Yang following her little sister just to watch over her. She couldn't help but be watchful of Ruby, since she hadn't seen her for days. Yang walked in to see her sister staring at her blood stained cloak, her face drained of all color. She walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her sister.

Ruby couldn't pull her eyes from the dark red that stained her crimson cloak, her mind going back to the man that she killed. Yang pulled Ruby away, tearing her sister away from the cloak. Ruby buried her face in her sister's shoulder, tears starting to come back as she wrapped her arms around Yang. Ruby finally separated and headed for the door, leaving her blood covered cloak behind. Yang knew that she was going to regret that, so she grabbed Ruby's cloak and her own metal armor, storing the cloak inside so Ruby wouldn't see.

The group came back together and headed back to base camp, ready to get to Haven and learn their next move.

 **A/N:** Here you go! The next chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, so please PM or review for any thoughts, comments or concerns. Until next time!

-Chief


	4. Chapter 4: Val Royeaux

Chapter 4: Val Royeaux

The group returned from the Hinterlands to Haven, Ruby very excited to show Yang everything. Ruby was unbelievably happy that Yang was here, and it could mean that Weiss and Blake were somewhere around Thedas. She brought Yang to Harrit so he could get some measurements for some more… appropriate clothing.

"So, you're the Herald's sister?" Harrit questioned as he took the measurements. He always took several measurements to make sure that it was correct, since he was a perfectionist with his armor. Yang held out her arms as he measured her and she answered.

"Yep. Always looking out for my little sis." Yang responded.

"Well, now Ruby is looking out for the world. A lot of people are looking to her to save us. Hell, she's already stopped the Breach from spreading."

"Yep, Ruby is doing big things here."

Harrit finished his measurements and took down his notes, asking Yang a series of questions that would determine how her armor would be made.

"Alright, it should take a few days to put the armor together. I would recommend wearing something… more… while you're here." Harrit advised, glancing at Yang's clothing… or lack of clothing. "Don't need you freezing to death."

"I'm good. It's actually not bad. Well, thanks for armor and the talk."

Yang and Ruby started walking through the camp, Ruby introducing Yang to everyone, everyone happy to meet the older sister of the Herald. The happiness ended when they got to the Chantry and saw the Mages and Templars at each other's throats.

"Your kind killed the Divine!" The Templar argued, pointing a finger at the lead Mage.

"You were supposed to protect her! Your kind let her die!" The Mage argued, pointing his staff at the Templar. The situation started to escalate when Ruby spotted the Templar grab the hilt of his sword. Ruby reacted quickly and yanked out Crescent Rose, firing a round over the top of the Chantry. Everyone stopped what they were doing and jumped from the sound of gunfire.

"Enough!" Ruby barked, walking over to the group as they started to recover. "I don't care what either of you think. None of us know for sure what happened, and pointing fingers and fighting each other isn't going to help."

"But-." The Templar tried to argue. Yang watched as Ruby delivered a Weiss level glare, one that would freeze you in place it was so cold.

"No, shut up. We don't know and we don't care. Our only mission is to close the Breach and fix the world." Ruby exclaimed, both sides looking around awkwardly since they were being scolded by a child. "Now, we can either make nice or the Inquisition is going to fall apart. Understand?"

All of the Mages and Templars mumbled, heading back to their normal duties while the other onlookers sat and stared at Ruby with fascination. One on looker decided that he needed to have his own input, and it was Ruby's least favorite person.

"So tell me, Herald… how do you plan on fixing everything?" Chancellor Roderick questioned, crossing his arms as he waited for an answer. Ruby wanted to give an answer, she really did, but she still had very little information on this world. Luckily for her, Cullen was there to help her out.

"Leave Ruby be, Roderick. She's done more than any of us could ask for and is still doing more than what the Chantry has done." Cullen argued, earning a scowl from Roderick.

"The Chantry will take action once a new Divine is chosen!" Roderick barked, pointing at Cullen, who frowned and looked like he was ready to punch him in the face.

"And how long will that be?" Ruby questioned, standing up to Roderick. "We can't just stand around and wait while the world goes to hell!"

"That isn't your decision, child!" Roderick barked again, pointing at Ruby. That was the wrong decision as Yang's eyes turned red and she grabbed him by the front of his robe. "Unhand me!"

Yang reared back, ready to clock Roderick in the face, but Ruby caught her arm and prevented her from smashing his face in.

"He's not worth it, Yang. Just let him go." Ruby advised, Yang doing it and lowering her fist. Roderick brushed himself off as Cullen chuckled and walked to Ruby's side.

"There's no point in making him a martyr. Besides, he's harmless. Now-." Cullen added. He was about to add more to his statement, but his sentence cut off as he looked at Yang, and her lack of clothing. Most people were put off since it was snowing and most people actually wore clothes that covered their bodies.

"Cullen, meet my big sister, Yang. Yang, this is Commander Cullen, he leads the Inquisition's military forces." Ruby introduced. Cullen was still at a loss for words since… well… no one in Thedas wore as little clothing as Yang did, not even the women of the night.

"Nice to meet you, Cullen. Nice to meet some of the people who have been taking care of my baby sister." Yang greeted as she held out her hand. Cullen cleared his throat and collected his thoughts, focusing on speaking rather than staring since yang really left nothing to the imagination.

"A pleasure to meet some of the Herald's family. Are you feeling okay? Need any… warmer more covering clothing?" Cullen questioned, looking just about anywhere but at Yang. Yang sighed and rolled her eyes since she was tired of everyone making comments about her wardrobe.

"Why does everyone have a problem with my clothing?" Yang groaned slumping her shoulders. Cullen patted Ruby on the shoulder and headed off to the training yard while Ruby stepped a little closer to Yang to point out the obvious.

"Um, Yang… most women here don't… show off… like you do. The amount of skin you show makes people… uncomfortable." Ruby pointed out, pointing to all the other women around Haven. Yang couldn't help but note that all of the women had themselves covered in clothing to keep warm and to keep themselves modest. Yang looked down at herself and saw how most people could see her show of skin a little… distracting. "Don't worry Sis, we'll get you some more… appropriate clothes. Maybe some armor too."

"I've got some armor. I just need something like what Harrit is making for me." Yang responded as she tapped on the torso armor under her arm, the one that held Ruby's bloodstained cloak. Yang knew that Ruby loved that cloak almost more than life itself, since it was given to her by her mother, who was gone now. Yang planned on washing the cloak later, getting the crusted blood off and giving to Ruby, but that would have to wait a minute. "Is there any place I can stay?"

"We can ask Josephine. She's the ambassador for the Inquisition and basically runs this place." Ruby answered as she started to lead Yang into the Chantry. The two entered, Yang admiring the craftsmanship of the place as they approached the back. Ruby went to the room Josie worked out of to find she was speaking with a man who looked like he was headed for a masquerade ball.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow Haven to be a place for some… heretical movement!" The man argued. Josie was wearing her usual gold and blue dress and carried a clipboard with an inkwell and candle on top.

"Marquis, I can assure you that Haven is not being used for that purpose, but also as a refuge for those looking for a safe place." Josie replied in a calm manner. The Marquis shook his head as Josie jotted down a few notes.

"Lady Montilyet, I can't allow this Inquisition to remain in Haven."

"The Inquisition was founded by Cassandra and Leliana, doesn't that count for something?" Ruby pointed out and questioned. The two turned to them, Josie smirking as she built off of what Ruby stated.

"That is correct, Ruby. The Inquisition was founded by the Left and Right Hands of the Divine. This would be a matter of honor against Lady Cassandra. Shall I schedule a duel with her? Say, around noon?" Josie responded as she made a few more notes on her board.

"What?! No! That won't be necessary. The Inquisition can remain here." The Marquis stated as he walked out, leaving the sisters alone with Josephine.

"Could he really just evict the whole Inquisition?" Yang questioned as she leaned in the doorway.

"His wife does have the holding to Haven, but it would require the Empress of Orlais, Empress Celine, to become involved. And with the current state of her country, I doubt that she would do so. Now, what may I help you with, Herald?" Josie questioned as she cleared her clipboard and took a seat behind her desk.

"Ambassador Montilyet, I would like to introduce my big sister, Yang Xiao Long. Yang, this is Josephine Montilyet, the Inquisition's Ambassador." Ruby introduced. Josephine stood up with a smile and did a small curtsies to Yang, the blonde brawler mimicking the gesture.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Xiao Long." Josephine replied.

"Nice to meet you too, Josie." Yang answered.

"Yang is joining us, so she's going to need a room." Ruby pointed out, hoping Josie could do something. Josephine sat back down and started jotting more notes down as she started flipping through other notes.

"Unfortunately, our situation is not as ideal as we wish. We aren't able to house everyone in a single room." Josie updated.

"That's okay, she can stay with me!" Ruby cheered. The two had already shared a room back home, and then again at Beacon, so what was the harm in doing it again? "It will be just like Beacon!"

"Yes it will Ruby. So, show me where I can drop my stuff." Yang replied. Ruby took Yang to her room while Josie got to work on acquiring a bed for Yang. Yang set her armor aside, keeping Ruby's cloak hidden from her. "So Ruby, what's the next step?"

"We're going to Val Royeaux to talk to the Chantry. Try to get them to lay off of us so we can try and fix the Breach." Ruby answered as they exited the Chantry.

"Sounds good. Mind if I tag along? Kinda like to see what this world has in store for us." Yang answered as she looked around as they walked around.

"Of course! It's gonna be a day or two to get everything ready."

"That's okay. It'll give us plenty of time to talk about those two boys you seem to like."

"Oh boy…"

A few days later…

The group consisting of Ruby, Cassandra, Varric, Solas and Yang arrived at Val Royeaux, Ruby and Yang ogling at the large marble city. The two of them were basically tourists to everyone, staring at the statues of Andraste that lined the entrance. Yang got her armor from Harrit, scale armor that offered protection as well as mobility. The chest and waist had the metal plates held together with chainmail while her stomach was covered by leather armor. She also wore metal bracers and greaves with black long underwear, so she was now acceptably dressed for Thedas.

The two were too busy looking around to notice the scout Leliana sent ahead to make sure no one was going to kill them.

"My Lord Herald." The scout proclaimed as she took a knee in front of Ruby. She could only guess that Leliana sent the scout ahead to ensure that they weren't walking into a trap.

"So, what's going on?" Ruby questioned, unsure of how to officially respond.

"The Chantry awaits you... and so do a great many Templars."

"There are Templars here?" Cassandra questioned as she stepped up to Ruby's side.

"Yes, Seeker. The people think they are here to protect them… from the Inquisition." The scout reported. Ruby and Yang looked at each other with very confused looks.

"Why would they need protection from us? We haven't threatened them." Yang pointed out.

"I don't know, but they are on the other side of the market. I believe that is where they intend to meet you." The scout continued.

"Then let's go see what they have to say." Ruby exclaimed as she started down the path. It was relatively easy to find the Chantry, since they were up on a stage with a large crowd standing around them and two Templars on each side of the stage.

"Good people of Val Royeaux, hear me! Together, we mourn the Divine! Her voice, silenced by treachery!" The Cleric preached, people clearly rallying to her. Ruby made her way to the crowd, the Cleric's eyes focusing on her. "You may ask what will come of her killer! Well ask no more! This so called Herald of Andraste! Claiming to have risen where she fell! We say this is a false prophet! The Maker would not send a child to deliver the Maker's Word!"

"I didn't hurt the Divine! I just want to close the Breach!" Ruby argued, even though she knew it wouldn't help. "We need to work together to seal the Breach before it's too late!"

The Cleric looked like she was about to say something when she looked to her side, everyone's eyes following her. A group of armored men led by another, Ruby only assuming that they were the Templars. The man in the lead had white skin that had a tinge of yellow with gray hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"It is already too late! The Templars have returned to face the "Inquisition" and protect the people once more!" The Cleric cheered. The lead Templar walked past her and went to the Templar at the far side while another approached her from behind. Ruby watched as the Templar reared back and struck the Cleric in the back of the head, knocking her on her face. Ruby immediately scowled and reached for Crescent Rose, but Cassandra caught her wrist.

"I know you want to help, but breaking out into a fight with the Templars won't." Cassandra urged. Ruby relaxed a bit, still not happy about the situation. Sure, the Cleric was just talking shit about her, but that didn't mean she deserved to be punched in the back of the head.

"Still yourself, Brother. She is beneath us." The lead Templar urged to the other, who looked distressed about what just happened.

"What was that for?!" Ruby barked, wanting to know what was going on.

"Her claim to authority is an insult, much like your own." The Templar responded as he walked off the stage. Cassandra immediately went after the Templar, but probably just to talk instead of fighting.

"Lord Seeker Lucius." Cassandra called, attempting to gain his attention.

"Do not address me." The Lord Seeker responded. Cassandra stopped as the Lord Seeker turned towards her. "The Templars failed no one when we left the Chantry to purge the Mages. You failed us, Cassandra. You who'd sheath our swords with fear and doubt while you raise some heretical prophet. If you came to appeal to the Chantry, you are already too late. The only destiny that demands respect is mine."

Ruby wasn't sure what was going on other than this "Lord Seeker" was the one in charge of the Templars, and he didn't seem too keen on working with the Inquisition. But, no one got anywhere standing on the sides and letting things happen.

"We need your help to close the Breach." Ruby argued.

"Oh the Breach is a threat, but you don't have the power to do anything about it." The Lord Seeker argued. The Templar that was pulled off the stage stepped up behind the Lord Seeker, clearly wanting to express his doubts. He was just as tall as the Lord Seeker, but had a shaved head and brown skin.

"Lord Seeker, what if she truly was sent by the Maker?" The Templar questioned.

"You have been called to a higher purpose. We Templars deserve recognition! Independence! You have shown me our Herald is nothing! And the Inquisition, less than nothing! Come Templars. Val Royeaux is unworthy of our protection!" Lord Seeker declared before leaving, the Templars following him like a shadow.

"Charming fellow." Varric grumbled as he took a spot by Ruby's side.

"I've met Grimm that made my skin crawl less." Yang commented as she crossed her arms.

"Cassandra, do you think he'll join us?" Ruby questioned, looking to the Seeker for any kind of answer.

"I hope so. If not, there must be others in the order that would be willing to join our cause." Cassandra sighed, looking a little down from what Lord Seeker Lucius had said. Ruby put a hand on her arm, doing her best to comfort her friend. Cassandra jumped a little from the touch, but smiled at Ruby's attempt. The group started to walk away, clear that they weren't going to get any support from the Templars. As they made their way to the entrance, they were stopped by a woman.

She was as tall as Cassandra and had dark hair that was pulled back into a bun. She had pale skin and wore dark blue robes, but the biggest feature about here was her ears; she was an elf.

"If I could have a moment of your time." The woman called, gaining everyone's attention.

"Grand Enchanter Fiona?" Cassandra exclaimed, helping the two visitors know who this woman was.

"Leader of the Mage rebellion. Is it not dangerous for you to be out here?" Solas questioned as he took a step towards the woman.

"When I heard about this gathering, I had to see the fabled Herald of Andraste with my own eyes. If it is help with the Breach you seek, perhaps you should look to the mages." Grand Enchanter Fiona exclaimed. Ruby was happy that someone was finally willing to lend some assistance. With the Chantry busy declaring her a false prophet and the Templars going rogue, friends were in short supply.

"Are you willing to help us?" Ruby questioned, hoping for a yes.

"We are willing to speak with the Inquisition. Come to Redcliffe, and we will talk about an alliance. Au revior, Herald." Grand Enchanter Fiona answered before walking away. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed since they were still no closer to closing the Breach. Her spirits were lifted a bit as Yang put a hand on her shoulder and gave a few encouraging words.

"Look on the bright side. The Mages are willing to talk with us, and we've seen some of the Templars don't agree with their boss. It's a start, right?" Yang pointed out. Ruby smiled since Yang was right, they didn't exactly make zero progress.

"Right. Let's head back to Haven and figure out our next move." Ruby announced as she started walking. Everyone followed, unsure about what they would do next, but they would figure it out.

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait everyone. I've been preoccupied with life. I know what you DA fans are thinking, and yes, the rest of the Val Royeaux events will be covered next chapter. Anyway, PM or review with any thoughts comments of concerns. Until next time!

-Chief


	5. Chapter 5: Making Friends

Chapter 5: Making Friends

Ruby and her group were heading out of Val Royeaux after their small meeting with some of the major factions. They met with the Chantry, and the sister basically accusing her of murdering the Divine and trying to take her place. Then they met the Templars, led by Lord Seeker Lucius, who deemed them nothing and blew them off. And finally they met with Grand Enchanter Fiona, who came to see the Herald of Andraste with her own eyes. Overall, the visit wasn't a total waste. Hopefully Ruby's speech about working together to close the Breach rattled the Chantry a bit. They also saw that several Templars expressed doubt over the Lord Seeker's choice to dismiss Ruby and the Inquisition.

They also received an invitation to speak with Grand Enchanter Fiona in Redcliffe, so there was that.

"Well, at least we didn't leave without making some impressions." Ruby sighed as they walked through the first gate into the walkway lined with Andraste and her husband statues.

"True, we do have more ground than we did before." Cassandra basically repeated. She was a little disheartened at Lord Seeker's response to them, basically shooting them down and calling them nothing. But, thanks to Ruby, they had done what they came to do.

"It's like I say, something is better than nothing." Varric added.

"No one asked for your input, Varric." Cassandra practically snarled.

"Jeez, what is with the two of you?" Yang questioned. Ruby and Yang had been thinking the same thing about Cassandra and Varric. Varric seemed to go out of his way to bother her and Cassandra just had a massive stockpile of anger against him.

"Well, the story goes the Seeker kidnapped me and forced me to tell the story of my friend Hawke." Varric quickly explained, the group stopped as Cassandra turned to him with an unhappy look.

"That is _not_ what happened!"

"Then please, tell us how it did go?"

"I brought you to the Chantry to explain what happened in Kirkwall that lead up to the Mage Rebellion. You were a part of the group that was at the center of it all." Cassandra explained to everyone.

"Yeah, because that's what happened." Varric scoffed, waving his hand at the Seeker. Ruby saw that Cassandra was starting to get angry, so she stepped in.

"That's enough! The two of you need to learn how to get along!" Ruby barked, tired of the constant arguing. Varric and Cassandra glared at each other for a moment before finally looking away. Ruby buried her hands in her face and groaned as a man in very fancy clothing approached her.

"Pardon me, miss, but would you be the Herald of Andraste?" The man questioned. He was wearing a clean white suit and black pants with a silver mask that covered the upper half of his face.

"Yes, I am." Ruby answered, a little weirded out by the man's attire.

"I have an invitation for a gala event tonight being thrown by Vivienne De Fir. She specifically requested you receive this invitation." The man answered as he handed her the invitation. "You would have received this earlier for you to prepare, but you could not be found at Haven."

"Right, um, thank you?" Ruby replied as she took the invitation. The man bowed and left without another word. "So, what do you guys think?"

"I think you don't really have enough time to get something fancy to wear." Yang joked.

"Very funny. So, should I go?" Ruby questioned.

"They could possibly be a potential ally." Solas pointed out, looking at one of the statues.

"Or his could be a trap." Cassandra added. Ruby scratched her chin in thought since all of those were good points. This was a fancy event, she couldn't exactly just show up in her armor. Then again, it could easily be a way to gain favor with the higher end of the social hierarchy… or be a trap to get her guard down.

"Alright… I'm going. Never know who you're going to meet at things like this." Ruby exclaimed, thinking the benefits outweighed the consequences. The group nodded, understanding that it was important for Ruby to make appearances to promote the Inquisition. Ruby nodded, happy with her executive decision as she turned and started walking. The walk was unfortunately ended as an arrow landed directly at Ruby's feet, just a few inches of taking her big toe off.

"What the!?" Yang cursed as she suddenly went into defense mode. Everyone readied themselves for an attack, but nothing happened. Ruby put her scythe away and picked up the arrow, seeing that it had a note tied to it. She unwrapped it to see that it was written in a large flowing hand and was bordered with doodles.

"People say you're special. I want to help, and I can bring everyone.

There's a baddie in Val Royeaux. I hear he wants to hurt you. Have a search for the red things in the market, the docks and 'round the café, and maybe you'll meet him first. Bring swords.

Friends of Red Jenny"

There was a picture of the market of the market drawn on it, granted it was also a very poorly drawn picture, but it had the general locations marked on it. Ruby turned back to the group who all had confused looks on their faces, no one knowing what to make of it.

"Another trap?" Yang questioned.

"Or another ally." Solas added.

"It's all sunny side up for you, isn't it, Chuckles?" Varric sighed as he collapsed Bianca and put her on his back.

"Well, we aren't in a position to turn away friends… and we still have some time before the event. Might as well get this done." Ruby suggested as she pocketed the note. The group turned back and went on their odd scavenger hunt, finding notes hidden by red clothes. They followed the leads in the locations pretty easily, finding a key, a time and a location. The location was some secluded courtyard on the outskirts of the main city. Ruby was the first to go in, pushing through an iron bar gate into a courtyard with two floors to it.

There were three men in the courtyard, two on the same floor they were and one on the next floor up. The second they spotted Ruby, they drew their weapons, two swords with a bow on the next floor. The archer was quick, already drawing and firing an arrow at Ruby. Luckily, Cassandra had her shield drawn and blocked the arrow that was meant for her, the metal deflecting the arrow and sending it spinning into the air. Varric was next, shooting in front of Cassandra and firing a bolt at the archer, nailing him in the shoulder.

Yang charged forward with a hard roar, ducking under a sword swing and delivering a hard strike straight to his stomach. Unfortunately, the other sword slinger was ready to cut Yang down, but Solas was able to cast a spell, freezing the swordsman in place. Yang didn't hesitate to rear back and swing at the frozen thug, shattering him into a few thousand pieces. Ruby felt all of the color drain from her face as Cassandra drew her blade and charged the lone swordsman. The dueled for but a moment, Cassandra obviously more skilled than the mercenary and cut him down with just a few swings.

Ruby saw all of the blood on the ground, the shattered pieces of the mercenary and the blood on Cassandra's blade and she felt her stomach drop. All she could think about was that Templar back at the Crossroads that she killed, that she murdered. Everyone started to put their weapons away, when the archer stood back up with an arrow ready to put one of them down. Ruby ignored the pit in her stomach and drew Crescent Rose, quickly taking aim and firing a round. The sniper bullet nailed the man straight in the chest, ripping through him as if he were just paper.

The man stumbled and then dropped to the ground, Ruby feeling her lunch start to lift up into her throat. She was able to keep it down, swallowing the lunch and moving forward up the stairs towards the large door that was in the back. She ignored the body by the railing and focused on her objective, the one that wanted to do the Inquisition harm. She pushed through the door and narrowly dodged a fire bolt that was aimed for her head. She looked at the attacker, seeing that it looked like an Orlesian noble wearing a slivery mask and fancy clothing.

"So… it appears you have found me. How much did it cost the Inquisition to do so? It must have set you back immeasurably!" The noble scoffed as he marched back and forth. Ruby looked at the group with a confused look, the rest of them simply shrugging their shoulders. The noble continued "My efforts will go down in the annuls of time!"

"Um… who are you?" Ruby questioned as she put Crescent Rose on her back. The noble looked at her with a look of confusion, and then a look of offense.

"Who am I!? I'm too important to be unknown to you! My efforts!" The noble went on. Ruby would have ignored the rantings, but someone jumped from the small walkway to her left with a bow in hand. She was wearing yellow and black plaid pants with a red top. Her hair was dirty blond and short like hers. She drew her bow and pointed it at the noble, aimed for his face.

"Say what." She announced in a cockney accent.

"What?" the noble attempted to ask, but ended up with an arrow in his mouth. Ruby's lunch decided to make another show, only she wasn't able to keep this one down. She turned away from the body and vomited, unfortunately it all landed on Cassandra's shoes, who simply stood there and took it as she patted Ruby on the back.

"Sorry…" Ruby groaned as she saw the mess she had made.

"It's… okay… it will was off…" Cassandra replied, ignoring the mess. Ruby wiped her mouth off and stood up straight, turning to face her possible ally. The woman had already removed her arrow from the noble and was putting it back in her quiver.

"So, you're the Herald, eh? Got ta tell ya… not too impressed… your friend said you were hot shit… but I beg to differ." The woman exclaimed as she looked Ruby up and down. Ruby felt a little demeaned since she was apparently not what everyone thought she was, but then she thought about what she just said.

"Wait, my friend?" Ruby questioned.

"Yeah… she was around here…" the woman stated as she started looking around. "Where'd she… there! In the shadows!"

Ruby looked over to the shadows where the woman was looking, but she couldn't really see anything. That is, until the target stepped out. They were easily female, the figure giving it away and wore black leather armor that really extenuated her figure. But the thing that filled Ruby with joy was the long black hair, yellow eyes and cat ears that poked out the top.

"Blake!" Ruby and Yang cheered as they ran to/ charged their friend. Blake simply smiled and held her arms out, accepting the tackle hug from the sisters. They fell to the ground with cheers, leaving the rest of them with a bit of confusion, but ultimately happy. They eventually go up and fixed themselves, but the mystery individual had to ruin the moment.

"Sorry to ruin the moment, but we got baddies comin in, ya? So, get some cover… an get 'round it." The woman announced as she drew her bow once more.

"No need. I took care of them once you left to deal with this guy." Blake responded as she brushed herself off.

"Aw, that's no fun! I was tipped their weapons shed!" the woman complained, but then chuckled "They didn't have any breechers."

"I know, but you didn't take their weapons."

"Because no breechers!"

"Anyway, this is Sera. She's a Friend of Red Jenny," Blake announced to the group. "And I'm Blake Belladonna, a friend of Ruby and Yang's."

Blake looked at Ruby and noticed one crucial detail about her.

"Hey Ruby, where's your cloak?" Blake questioned. It was the one thing Ruby always wore other than to bed. She wore it recreationally, she wore it with her school uniform… she wore it all the time. Ruby immediately thought about the blood soaked cloak back in the Hinterlands, her stomach starting to turn again just at the thought of it.

"It's… not around… anymore… so this is Sera?" Ruby replied, doing her best to change the subject.

"Nice to meetcha! I'm Sera! Friend of Red Jenny!" Sera reintroduced. Ruby went over to Sera and held out her hand.

"Hi Sera. I'm Ruby Rose, the Herald of Andraste." Ruby introduced as Sera shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ruble. Really young, but that's not important. You glow, right? That's the important part."

"Yeah… I glow."

"Good, yeah? So, here I am, a Friend of Red Jenny!" Sera practically cheered as she held her arms out. Ruby shook her head, trying to get all of the nonsense to form one coherent point.

"I don't get it. Who are the Friends of Red Jenny?" Ruby questioned, hoping that she could get Sera to make some sense.

"So, here's how it goes. You got your big knobs up here all mighty and powerful. All of them 'I'll crush you', *deeper* 'I'll crush you', *kissing sounds* 'Oh, I'll crush you'." Sera went on to explain. Ruby simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow, still confused. Sera realized she was on a tangent and cleared her throat before continuing "Anyway, I'm part of the little people. Cooks, servants, maids and the like. People who can't do shite, but know a bad man when they see one. This guy was all cloak and dagger, but what gave him up? Some servant boy who don't know his arse from a blade, but know he's bad news."

"Okay… I get it… kinda like spies, but not spies." Ruby simplified.

"Yeah! You're getting it!" Sera chuckled. "But not just my friends, you're getting me. Whenever you need arrows in baddies, I'm your girl."

"Well, you can never have too many friends. Welcome to the Inquisition, Sera." Ruby replied as she held out her hand. Sera smiled and shook Ruby's hand, solidifying their alliance.

"Well, looks like we're that much closer to getting the team back together. So, where to now?" Blake questioned as she stepped up to Ruby.

"Well, Ruby has a party to get to. Another possible alliance to make." Varric stated as he moved up to the group. "Come on, let's get moving."

Everyone nodded and started making their way towards the gala event, which was luckily nearby. They arrived, finding the event to be very large scale with a number of guests and guards. Ruby and her group stepped up, but two of the guards stopped them from entering.

"Apologies, Herald of Andraste, but the invitation was only for you… not the rest of your group." The guard apologized and explained. Ruby looked back at the group, seeing that none of them were too happy about the arrangement. She simply smiled and gave a thumbs up, assuring the group that she would be alright. Ruby proceeded up the steps into the building on her own, several of the Orlesian nobles talking in hushed tones about her as she walked by. Ruby entered the building and a noble made her arrival an announcement.

"Ruby Rose, the Herald of Andraste." The Noble announced like it was his job to do so. Ruby saw all of the eyes land on her, which made her extremely uncomfortable. She stepped in and was immediately met with a familiar face. They were wearing a lovely white dress with blue trim, matching her perfectly snow white hair that was held in a ponytail that was slightly off to the side and her icy blue eyes.

"Herald of Andraste, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Weiss Schnee, apprentice to Madam de Fir." Weiss greeted with a small curtsy. Ruby smiled wide as she returned the curtsy. Both of them stood up, Ruby immediately hugging Weiss.

"It's so good to see you!" Ruby cheered as she hugged Weiss.

"Ruby! Get off me!" Weiss snapped. "You have an appearance to keep up!"

Ruby and Weiss immediately separated, Weiss adjusting her dress since Ruby messed it up. There were a few giggles and laughs from the nobles around them, but they ultimately kept to themselves.

"It's good to see you too, Ruby. I heard that the Herald of Andraste was just a child, but I never thought that it would be you. Or for you to be a part of the Inquisition." Weiss pointed out. Ruby was about to speak when a loud mouthed noble decided to speak.

"The Inquisition, just a farce." The noble declared as he walked over to Weiss and Ruby. "Some heretical movement for crazed Seekers and dishonored Chantry sisters to grab at power."

The Noble then turned to Ruby and pointed at her with a look of disdain.

"If you were truly a woman of honor, you would step outside and face these charges." The Noble growled as he went for his sword. Ruby froze thinking about having to kill this man just because he disagreed with the politics of the Inquisition. Luckily, he froze first, literally. His entire body was covered in ice, similar to how Solas dealt with the mercenaries earlier, but thinner.

"How dare you, Marquis, insult my guest at my gala?" A woman's voice echoed. Ruby looked up to the upper floor, seeing a woman in a white suit almost in a silver horned mask walking down the stairs with ice magic alive in her hand.

"Madame Vivienne! I didn't realize she was your guest! I apologize!" The Noble immediately apologized. Madame Vivienne came down the stairs and stood between Ruby and the Noble. She reached out and gripped the Noble's frozen chin and addressed Ruby.

"It is not me you should be apologizing to. My dear Herald, you are the offended party here. What shall I do with him?" Madame Vivienne questioned as she looked back at Ruby. Ruby looked around, very confused on what to say or do.

"Ruby, either let him go, get rid of him or let Madame Vivienne decide." Weiss whispered to Ruby to help her out since she seemed like she was struggling.

"Oh! Let him go… not really worth the trouble." Ruby replied, not wanting to cause any more problems. The last thing she needed was to have even more deaths on her conscious.

"The Herald has chosen to spare your life… use what's left of it wisely." Vivienne declared as she snapped her fingers and the Noble was freed. He went slack for a second before retreating away like a wounded animal.

"Thank you for attending, Herald. Let us take this chat elsewhere." Vivienne said as she turned to face Ruby. Ruby nodded and followed Vivienne to a secluded part of the building so they could talk in private. Once they were alone, Vivienne introduced "We still haven't formally introduced each other. I am Vivienne de Fir, leader of the last loyal mages."

"Ruby Rose, Herald of Andraste, I guess. What do you mean, loyal mages?" Ruby questioned since the phrase was a tad confusing.

"Mages that remained loyal to the Chantry, not like the rebels that abandoned their duty and started this pointless war." Vivienne answered, giving her own personal input.

"Oh… okay… so, you want to join the Inquisition?" Ruby asked, trying to avoid getting into a political argument. From what she had heard about Circles, they were more like prisons than anything and she could see why the rebellion started.

"Yes I do. The world is going mad and the Inquisition is the only ones willing to do anything about it. I am willing to lend my expertise to you and the Inquisition."

"Well, welcome to the Inquisition, Madame Vivienne."

O00000O00000O

The ride back to Have was a little rough with so many conflicting personalities crammed into one caravan. Sera's rambunctious nature really plucked on Weiss' nerves and Yang didn't do a whole lot to calm her down. In fact, she just fueled the fire for the sole point of annoying Weiss. The caravan parked and Ruby was the first off, happy to be back at Haven and to show her friends everything she had been up to. Unfortunately, work got in the way of that as Cassandra started guiding Ruby towards the Chantry.

"Don't worry Sis, I'll show them around and fill them in on everything." Yang offered as she patted Ruby on the shoulder. Ruby smiled and nodded, going with Cassandra to the Chantry. On the way, Cassandra decided to share a few words with Ruby.

"Ruby, I would like to… apologize." Cassandra sighed, her voice heavy with guilt.

"For what?" Ruby questioned, looking up at Cassandra with a raised eyebrow. They entered the Chantry, stopping about halfway from the war room.

"For… how I treated you when we first met. I was so focused on finding the one responsible for the Divine's death… I threw the blame on you… I'm-." Cassandra explained as she was about to apologize. But Ruby cut her off, putting a hand on her arm with a smile.

"Cassandra, it's okay. You had your reasons… and you've more than made up for what happened."

"Thank you, Ruby."

Sadly, the moment ended as Cullen, Josephine and Leliana approached the two of them. They more than likely wanted to talk about what happened in Val Royeaux involving the Mages and the Templars.

"Well, that was less than fruitful." Cullen grumbled as they gathered to discuss.

"At least we made contact. It is a start." Leliana pointed out as she put her hands behind her back. "I say you go to Redcliffe and hear what Grand Enchanter Fiona has to say."

"I still say we approach the Templars. Even if Lord Seeker rejects us, there are bound to be those who agree with us." Cullen argued, still going for the Templar angle.

"So… who should we approach? I mean, both sides have their own advantages." Ruby explained since she didn't really know which group to choose. "The mages are certainly powerful and are openly willing to help us… but pouring that much magic into the mark might over load it. Then the Templars might be able to weaken the Breach… but that's only theory."

"You have a very strong grasp of the situation. It's very impressive." Cullen complimented. He was very impressed that one so young could tell the advantages of both sides and weigh them.

"At the moment, we don't have enough reputation to approach either group. I shall start seeing what we can do to change that." Josephine proclaimed as she started taking a few notes on her board. Cullen, Cassandra and Josie started walking away, but Leliana remained with Ruby.

"Ruby, a moment. Would you happen to know what a Grey Warden is?" Leliana questioned. She was already sure that Ruby didn't know since she was ignorant about the entire country, but it never hurt to ask.

"Gray Warden? No… I don't." Ruby responded. She knew that she was eventually going to have to learn more about the world she was currently trying to save. Thedas was a whole new world to her that seemed so alive with different cultures and even the concept of religion, which was something that Remnant lacked.

"I thought so. The Grey Wardens are warriors that combat the Blight, which is when an Old God is corrupted by Darkspawn. There was a Blight ten years ago, but it was stopped by the Hero of Ferelden. I was there with her." Leliana explained, or at least tried to since Ruby knew nothing about Thedas.

"Okay, I follow a bit. So, what about the Grey Wardens?" Ruby questioned, trying to get to the point of the conversation.

"Grey Wardens travel Thedas dealing with Darkspawn and recruit, but recently, all of the Grey Wardens in Fereldan have vanished. I tried to contact the Grey Wardens in Orlais, but they too have vanished. I cannot see this as a coincidence." Leliana explained.

"That doesn't seem like coincidence. Have you brought this up with the others?"

"They do not share my concern, but there is one person that would. A Grey Warden has been spotted in the Hinterlands; Warden Blackwall. Maybe he will know about these disappearances."

"Makes sense. I'll swing by and see if he knows anything."

"Thank you."

Leliana walked off towards her camp section just outside the Chantry while Ruby went out to find her friends. She started walking, only to be intercepted by Raphael in his full armor, hiding something behind his back.

"Ruby! I'm glad I found you before you left on your next mission." Raphael proclaimed as he stopped in front of her.

"Hey Raph, what is it?" Ruby questioned, leaning a bit to see what he was hiding behind his back. Raphael smiled as he pulled her cloak out from behind his back, revealing it to be perfectly clean and free of blood. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy to see her cloak again.

"You didn't! You cleaned it for me!?" Ruby cheered as she took her cloak from Raphael's hands. She threw it on, feeling like a massive weight was lifted from her shoulders.

"Yeah. I found it still… dirty… and figured you'd like it if it were cleaned off." Raphael answered as he scratched the back of his head. Ruby couldn't help herself, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much Raph! You're the best!" Ruby thanked and complimented. Raphael smiled and hugged Ruby back, happy to make her feel this level of joy.

"You're welcome."

The two separated and Ruby had a bit more skip in her step towards the one place there was to hang out in Haven; the tavern. She stepped inside and immediately spotted her friends sitting at a table, Yang having a large flagon in front of her as she talked.

"Hey guys. Everyone caught up?" Ruby questioned as she took a seat with them.

"Pretty much. So, what do you do for fun around here, Herald of Andraste?" Blake questioned with a small smirk. She had heard the stories about the one that walked out of the Fade with Andraste leading them and how they stopped the Breach from spreading. But the last thing she expected was for the Herald to be Ruby.

"I don't know… I don't get a ton of down time. But that's not important. How did you wind up working with Sera? And Weiss and Vivienne?" Ruby questioned, wanting to figure out how her friends got mixed up with these two different people.

"Well, I met Sera when I finally woke up from going through that mirror. I was in the city and no one would help me out. They all just brushed me off and ignored me completely. Sera found me during the night when I was forced to sleep by the docks. She gave me a place to stay, and in turn, I started helping the Friends of Red Jenny." Blake explained. Sera really did help her out, instead of just ignoring her because of her clothing or her accent.

"I found Vivienne in Val Royeaux. Just like Blake, I woke up in the city and had no idea where I was… then I made a huge discovery." Weiss stated as she held up her hand at face level. She waved her hand around a bit and started to conjure a small mist around the top of her hand.

"You're a mage!" Ruby gasped as Weiss dissipated the mist.

"Yes. I tried to find help, but most just called me a 'Filthy Mage' and chose to spit in my direction instead of helping me. Luckily, one sent me towards Vivienne. She gladly accepted me and helped me understand what was happening." Weiss answered as she crossed her legs and put her hands on her knee.

"Wow, that was really nice of both of them." Ruby responded. She was about to say something else, but an individual she really didn't care for decided to join them. Brianna's Company Assassin pulled up a chair and joined them at their table. Ruby groaned "What do you want, Malachi?"

"Nothing, just to join a lovely lady for a drink." Malachi responded as he waved the server girl for a drink. "So, Mr. Smooth Templar got your cloak clean? Sounds like he's trying to butter you up."

"What are you really doing here?" Yang questioned before taking a drink from her flagon. She still didn't approve of Malachi since she found out he was spying on Ruby while she was changing her clothes.

"To butter Ruby up." Malachi admitted as he reached into his pocket and pulled out something wrapped in a piece of cloth in the shape of a tube. It was about two inches wide but six inches long and wrapped in a white cloth. "For you, Ruby. I think you'll like it."

Ruby looked at the cloth with extreme skepticism, since she trusted Malachi about as far as she could throw him. She started to unwrap it, finding it to just be a bunch of chocolate chip cookies.

"Cookies?" Ruby questioned as she looked at Malachi with a raised eyebrow. Granted, she was doing her best to keep from jumping in joy since she _really_ wanted some since she got to Thedas, but she had to ensure that Malachi didn't do anything to them. "You didn't steal them, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Made them myself. Overheard you talking with Yang here, said you wanted some since you got here. Figured it would be another step in my apology process. Go on, let me know how I did." Malachi answered and then urged. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed as she picked up one of the cookies. She took a bite and she couldn't believe how amazing the cookies were, they rivaled her mother's baking skills they were so good. She contained her excitement and responded "They're pretty good."

"So, less mad at me?"

"Just a bit."

"I'll take it. See you around, cutie." Malachi flirted as he got up and walked out. Ruby unintentionally watched him go, thinking about his toned figure. The other girls noticed Ruby's stare, a little amazed that Ruby was taking an interest in something other than weapons.

"Wow Ruby, never saw you as a 'bad boy' kind of girl." Blake chuckled a bit. Ruby snapped back to reality, grabbing Yang's flagon and taking a drink from it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ruby replied, taking another drink.

"Oh yeah, you're into red headed Templars, right?" Yang poked at as she took her drink back. Weiss and Blake chuckled as Ruby started to blush. "From what I heard, you were checking him out before you went to the Hinterlands."

Ruby just wanted to disappear at that moment, but she couldn't since someone else was calling her name. Brianna walked over to her, clapping her shoulder with a guy following her.

"Talking about my boys again? Nights with them aren't covered under my pay, Ruby." Brianna chuckled as Ruby sunk lower into her seat. She patted Ruby's back and introduced "Brianna White-Steel, Captain of the Misfits Mercenary Company. Those two boys are mine, so it's extra if you're looking for some quality time."

Ruby was still sinking lower into her seat as the girls laughed a bit at her expense.

"I'm kidding kiddo, they're after you on their own. So, down to the actual business." Brianna chuckled as she pulled Ruby up so she was sitting up straight. Ruby turned towards the guy that Brianna walked in with. He was as tall as Brianna was with dark brown hair that was slicked back and wearing heavy plate armor.

"Cremisius Aclassi. I'm a lieutenant for Bull's Chargers. The boss is making an offer to come work for you." The man introduced. Ruby decided to stand and introduce herself.

"Ruby, Ruby Rose. So, why is your boss making us an offer?" Ruby introduced and then questioned. It seemed strange for another mercenary company to try and work for the Inquisition, especially since it was Brianna leading them around.

"Because, he likes what your Inquisition is about, wants to help out too. We're very professional and always get the job done." Cremisius responded and explained.

"It's true. We've worked with the Chargers before. Some of the best there is." Brianna preached. Ruby looked at Brianna with a raised eyebrow, thinking it was a bit strange for her to be promoting another Company.

"So… do you think I should hire them?" Ruby questioned since Brianna was the one who was more knowledgeable about the workings of mercenaries.

"We don't expect you to hire us just from word of mouth. We're going to be out on the Storm Coast if you want to see us in action. Boss wants to speak to you personally. Figure you'd want to hear it straight from the big man himself." Cremisius answered.

"And big is putting it loosely. The Iron Bull is bigger than any Qunari I've ever met, and that includes Great Horns and Ataashi." Brianna chuckled. "But you should go talk to him, and I want to be there. Been a while since I've seen Bull."

"Yeah, sure. I'll go talk to Iron Bull. We'll see you out there." Ruby responded as she held out her hand to Cremisius.

"Agreed. Hope to be working with you soon, Herald." Cremisius replied as he shook her hand and left. Ruby sat back down and sighed since she was getting ready to go out once more into the world. All she wanted at the moment was to sit down and relax for just a moment.

"You good, Ruby?" Yang questioned, pushing her drink towards Ruby.

"Yeah, just another day in the life of the Herald. So, I've got to go to the Hinterlands and speak to Warden Blackwall, and then go to the Storm Coast and talk to the Iron Bull." Ruby explained as she took the flagon and took a heavy gulp from it.

"We. We're in this together, Ruby. All of us." Weiss corrected.

"Wherever you go, whatever you do, we'll have your back." Blake assured. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy that her friends had her back in this strange world. Yeah, she met some good people and was happy to have met them, but it was good to have some familiar faces with her.

O00000O00000O

The team arrived at the Hinterlands, happy to see the region had been stabilized a bit more since the Inquisition showed up. Luckily for Ruby, the Misfits had been earning their keep when Ruby went to Val Royeaux. They cleared out a mess of bandits that were a little more organized and well supported to be bandits, gathered food and blankets for the people of the Crossroads and even managed to recruit a horse master for the Inquisition. She was happy to have someone around to help her with the small things so she wouldn't have to work on everything herself. Ruby and her friends with the addition of Brianna walked along the waterfall in the Hinterlands.

Leliana's spies told Ruby that Blackwall had been seen near the waterfall, possibly recruiting for the Wardens. They followed the trail and Ruby spotted a cabin that had a few men standing by it, so she picked up the pace a little bit. There were three men, all of them holding shields and swords with one that was obviously more experienced. He was as tall as Brianna and had thick brown hair and brown bushy beard with a mustache to match. He was wearing think clothing to help with the natural cold with a shining silver breast plate.

He carried a sword and shield like the rest of the men, probably training them in the method since it was what he was proficient in. The group finally made it to the man who was presumably Blackwall, but he was in the middle of a speech.

"Remember, this is your land, your home. I've given you the tools to take it back from the men who stole it from you." The lead man exclaimed in a think gruff voice. He had the air of a leader around him, almost instantly commanding respect from everyone.

"Warden Blackwall!" Ruby called out as she reached the men. Blackwall turned towards her and moved with a sense of purpose straight to her.

"Who told you my name?" Blackwall questioned as he stood a foot away from Ruby. Ruby heard the arrow fly through the air, but luckily Blackwall was fast with his shield. He moved his shield in the way of the arrow, blocking it since it was aimed at Ruby's head. Ruby turned to look and saw a group of men charging them with weapons and shields raised. Blackwall ordered "Whoever you are, we can talk later. Let us deal with this lot first."

Blackwall charged forward, the men he was instructing charging with him. Ruby couldn't just stand by and let Blackwall deal with these guys himself and risk losing a valued ally. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and charged with them, hearing her friends do exactly the same. Blackwall and his group slammed shields with the men that were intent on killing them, but there were still more to deal with. Ruby swallowed a bit as she swung her scythe at a man that was going for Blackwall's side… and sliced a massive chunk out of his side.

Ruby ignored the dying man and pressed on, blocking a swing that was meant for her, and allowing Brianna to come in and drive her axe into the man's shoulder. Ruby swallowed the next stream of vomit to come up and pressed on, seeing where their archers were, easily spotting them towards the trees and using them for cover. Ruby would have charged them, but large white blue glyphs appeared beneath their feet and then exploded in a shower of snow. Once it settled, it revealed the two archers completely frozen, which allowed Yang to rush forward and slam her fists through both of them, shattering them. The other men that were dealing with Blackwall were pushed off, leaving Blackwall to deal with two of them at one time.

Luckily, Blake jumped one of the men from behind using her blade, Gambol Shroud, and sliced one of the men's back into ribbons. The other turned to look at what happened, which gave Blackwall an opening to rush forward and bring his blade down through the man's shoulder and into his chest. Blackwall yanked his blade out and the man dropped to the ground, which was the breaking point for Ruby, who leaned on the tree next to her and threw up.

"Sorry bastards." Blackwall grumbled as he stabbed his blade into the ground to clean the blood off of it. He pulled the blade out and sheathed it as he approached his charges. He proceeded to speak "These men had a choice in life. Everyone does. All I can say… thieves are made, not born. I have nothing more to teach you, you can fight on your own. No go and reclaim what is yours."

The men started to walk away as Ruby walked over to him, wiping her mouth free of vomit and spit.

"Warden Blackwall, I'm an agent of the Inquisition." Ruby introduced as she approached the Grey Warden. The gruff man looked at the small girl that had just got done puking her brains out and sighed.

"Kid, what are you doing out here? It's dangerous!" Blackwall scolded. A kid didn't belong out here in the Hinterlands, not while Mages and Templars were busy running around and trying to kill each other. "Where are your parents?"

"Um… what?" Ruby questioned out of pure confusion. This was the first time anyone had brought up her age in anything. Everyone just treated her like an adult since she got her, Blackwall being the first to actually treat her like a child.

"Here, I'm going to take you home and make sure you're safe." Blackwall sighed as he offered her his hand. Ruby gave him a flat look of annoyance and held out her left hand, revealing to him the mark. Blackwall's eyes went wide as he saw it, hearing the stories all the way out here. He gasped "By the Maker, you're the Herald of Andraste."

"Yep, and I'm here to ask you about the Wardens. They've all gone missing. Know anything about it?" Ruby questioned. She was a little miffed at the Grey Warden for treating her like a child, so she wanted to get this over with very quickly.

"No, I haven't. But the Archdemon is a decade dead, so we aren't exactly needed, now are we? Blight's gone and so are the Wardens." Blackwall answered, feeling a bit guilty for talking down to the great Herald of Andraste. "Why?"

"Well, no one has seen any of the Wardens since the explosion at the Conclave, so we wanted to see if there was some connection. So, what are you doing out here?"

"Recruiting mostly. That's what we Wardens do when there isn't a Blight."

"And train random farmers?"

"Wardens can inspire people. These men needed to learn to defend themselves and their livelihood."

"That's… really cool, but not what I was looking for. Thank you for your time." Ruby thanked as she started walking. Her friends joined her and sighed heavily, upset that the whole thing was a waste of time.

"Wait, agent you said?" Blackwall called out after thinking for a moment. Ruby turned towards the Warden, who was walking over to them. "The Wardens disappearing, and the Conclave. Thinking the Wardens had something to do with it is worse than them just disappearing. I have a few treaties from the Wardens that may be of use, and I would like to join you."

"Are you sure? Would you be comfortable working with a child?" Ruby questioned as she crossed her arms. Blackwall scratched the back of his head, embarrassed from his actions.

"I apologize for my manners, or lack thereof. I would like to assist you in finding out what is going on in this world, with your permission, Herald." Blackwall apologized and then requested.

"Yes, you may. Welcome to the Inquisition, Warden Blackwall." Ruby replied with a smile. Ruby could see that he just made a simple mistake and was a caring man. Plus, it would be helpful to have such a powerful ally on their side, so there was that. The group allowed Blackwall to grab a few things before they left for Haven and then to the Storm Coast.

O00000O00000O

Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake and Brianna arrived at the aptly named Storm Coast, considering it was nearly pouring rain constantly since they arrived. They hopped off the caravan, Ruby putting her hood up as she went over to Scout Harding, who seemed completely fine with all the rain.

"Welcome to the Storm Coast, Ruby. Pretty appropriately named if you ask me." Scout Harding joked. Ruby laughed a bit after shuddering since the rain was nearly freezing cold. Thunder cracked overhead as lighting struck the ocean in front of them. Trees leaned heavily due to the soaking ground as heavy drops of water fell from branch to branch.

"No kidding, so what's the word Scout Harding?" Ruby questioned with a shiver.

"Well, we've got a few things. A Dragon was spotted nearby."

"A dragon? Really? Where?"

Almost as soon as Ruby asked, there was a loud roar that echoed through the drenched forest. Ruby looked around and spotted said dragon flying over the ocean, dipping and slithering through the sky like a massive snake. Ruby watched in awe as the great beast flew through the sky with a kind of primal grace, vanishing behind the mountain ridges with a final, booming roar.

"Wow… so cool…" Ruby gawked, happy she got to see such a majestic creature in the wild.

"Cool, but deadly. So far it hasn't attacked us, but that's only a matter of time. There is another threat, mercenaries have an encampment around here. We had some scouts go to the nearby ridge, but we haven't heard from them in quite some time." Scout Harding continued.

"Alright, we'll get to work on searching for the scouts. Any news on the Chargers?" Ruby questioned.

"Yes, they're down on the beach. From what I saw, they were ready for a fight."

"Awesome. Thanks."

Ruby started towards the beach, her group just behind her. The rain was unrelenting, drenching them within seconds of standing out in the open. The walk was short, arriving on the beach and seeing the conflict that was predicted. There were clear differences between the two groups fighting, one side wearing full plate like Cremisius was earlier and the other wearing more cloth armor with one arm being armored like a gladiator. They also wore strange metal helmets that were balled around the head with a metal spike coming out of the top at a 45 degree angle.

Ruby spotted Cremisius fighting alongside a massive Qunari that swung a huge axe. Ruby watched as the Qunari slashed one of the opposing soldiers in half with a single swing. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and charged in with her scythe raised. As Ruby charged, she saw several blue orbs fly through the air and slam into the soldiers. She looked back and saw Weiss with a white blue rune in front of her, Ruby happy that they had a mage backing them up.

Ruby smiled as she swung her scythe, slicing one of the soldier's backs open in a spray of blood. Ruby felt a twinge in her stomach, but no vomit coming up. Ruby saw Blake charge in and deflect a blow from a soldier, then proceed to swing her two blades repeatedly and open up the soldier's exposed chest. That's when Yang charged straight through the battlefield, delivering deadly uppercuts that nearly took off some of the soldier's heads. Yang charged the mage of the enemy soldiers, who was currently squaring off against three of Bull's men.

Yang jumped and used one of the soldiers to push off of, sending her straight at the mage. The mage didn't have enough time to react as the golden meteor of Yang Xiao Long flew at him and drove her fist through his head. The two slammed to the ground, Yang standing up straight with a wide grin and her hair starting to burn. Ruby watched as the Chargers cut through the last of the soldiers except for one. The behemoth was as tall as the Qunari and wielded a hammer that looked like it could shatter the planet's crust with a few good swings.

The behemoth was currently in a duel with the Qunari, both dodging and avoiding the swings of the other to no real effect. Ruby looked to Weiss, the two's mental connection kicking off as they both started to move towards the fight. Ruby jumped up as Weiss summoned a glyph beneath her feet, the glyph propelling Ruby forward towards the fight at high speeds. Ruby slashed the behemoth and giving the Qunari an opening to drive his axe into the behemoth's stomach. Weiss summoned another glyph as Ruby flew by, Ruby shooting forward again and this time taking the behemoth's head off with a hard swing.

Ruby slid across the rocky beach, turning back to see the Qunari rip his axe from the headless corpse as it squirted blood like a fountain. Ruby felt her stomach turn a bit, but no need to vomit anymore. She stood up and collapsed her scythe, putting it on her back as the Qunari gave his orders.

"Chargers! Stand down!" the Qunari shouted. Ruby got a closer look at him, getting more details of him. He had a goatee that formed perfectly with his triangular head, two large horns coming straight out from the sides them straight up at a 90 degree angle. He wore a harness with a leather pauldron and a pair of pants that were very puffy. He was heavily built, looking like he lifted rocks for fun. The biggest thing about him was the eye patch he had over his left eye. He continued "Krem, how are the men?"

"A few injured, none wounded." Cremisius or Krem responded.

"Good. That's what I like to hear. Have the throat cutters finish up and then break out the casks." The Qunari Ruby could only assume was the Iron Bull. He walked over to Ruby and towered over her, actually shielding her from the rain and wind he was so huge. "So, you're the Herald? Figured you'd be taller."

"Everyone is short to you, Bull." Brianna called out after she was done cleaning her axe off. The two cheered and approached each other with open arms. They gave a hard hug and proceeded to chat between each other.

"Been a while, Bri." Bull exclaimed as the two separated. "Looking to ride the Bull again?"

"You too, Bull, and no, I'm quite alright. I enjoy walking in the morning." Brianna chuckled. "Besides, you've got business to do."

"Right. Herald! I'm the Iron Bull." Bull introduced, returning to Ruby.

"Ruby Rose. So, you want to work for the Inquisition?" Ruby questioned as the two moved towards a washed up tree, Bull taking a seat on it.

"That's right. We're not cheap, but we're worth every coin. But you aren't just getting my men, you're getting me. Whenever you need me, I've got your back." Bull explained. Ruby thought for a second, weighing the pros and cons of adding the Chargers to their payroll. The cons; it was more coin the Inquisition was losing to go to other parts of their organization. The pros; they were getting a group of professionals and Ruby was getting a massive bodyguard.

"Well, you've certainly got my attention." Ruby admitted, still unsure of her answer.

"There's also one thing you should know about me. Ever hear about the Ben Hassrath?" Bull questioned.

"Nope."

"Well, they're the peace keepers of the Qunari, and the spies. Well, more… us. I'm Ben Hassrath."

"Wait… so, you're _telling_ me you're a spy? Why wouldn't you keep that secret?"

"From a group called the Inquisition? I would have been made sooner or later, especially with that red headed spymaster of yours."

"How did…" Ruby questioned with a raised eyebrow. Bull simply chuckled at her reaction.

"Like I said, spies. The Qunari are freaked out about this whole 'Breach' thing and the Inquisition dealing with it. They wanted me to look into it and what better way to do that then to be there? Anyway, I'm supposed to send reports on everything the Inquisition is up to, but you'll also be getting my Ben Hassrath reports."

"So… intel for intel? That makes a bit of sense… I guess. And I appreciate the honesty." Ruby replied. She made her decision there; she wanted the Chargers. The pros seriously outweighed the cons at this point. "I would like the Chargers to join the Inquisition."

"You won't regret this one, Boss. Alright Chargers! Finish your drinks on the road! The Chargers just got hired!" Bull announced to his Company.

"But Chief! We just opened the casks! With axes!" Krem complained as he walked over to Bull.

"Figure something out. You're Tevinter, use Blood Magic." Bull chuckled as he walked by. Ruby couldn't help but smile, happy to see the Inquisition growing in numbers and strength.

O00000O00000O

The caravan finally arrived at Haven in the dead of night, only the guards and the few traders still awake at this hour. Ruby and her friends dragged their feet back to the group room, Josephine gladly getting a few more beds for the room. One thing was different as they approached the door, there was a rose tied to the door handle. Ruby pulled it off only to find a note on it.

" _Hope this helps. A rose a fraction as beautiful as you, Rose._

 _From, Malachi"_

Ruby smirked a bit as she felt her friends lean against her to see what the note says.

"He's really trying to get on your good side." Yang pointed out.

"Yeah… he's doing pretty well." Ruby commented as she opened the door. She stepped in seeing that the room had been rearranged, the tall dresser now taking the center of the room with two beds on each side of the room. Ruby looked to her right, seeing a large bouquet of roses in a vase on the table with a note on it as well. Ruby picked it up and read it.

" _A bouquet that pales to your beauty, my Rose_

 _From, Raphael"_

Ruby giggled and blushed as she placed the note and the spare rose down, the rest of the team looking at the roses.

"Wow, not one, but two men after Ruby's heart." Blake pointed out as she went to a bed and claimed it. All of the girls started stripping her armor, getting into casual, more comfortable clothes to sleep in. Weiss finding a night gown that was similar to hers back on Remnant, Ruby and Blake simply wearing a shirt and Yang going all out and stripping to the nude. Ruby slid into bed and was about to fall asleep when Blake asked "So, Ruby, tell us about these boys who are after you."

"Well… there's Malachi, the bad boy. He started off on the wrong foot." Ruby started to explain.

"He snuck a look at Ruby while she was changing." Yang quickly reworded.

"Yeah… but still… the whole bad boy thing… it's attractive."

"Dear Dust…"

"What about this red headed Templar Yang mentioned last time we were here?" Weiss questioned since it seemed like it was going to be a minute before they were going to go to sleep.

"That's Raphael, a real sweet heart. He cleaned my cloak and gave it to me… and the roses…" Ruby sighed happily. It was nice to actually have boys chase after her, giving her this much attention. Usually they were more interested in Yang, so this was a nice change of pace.

"Alright, I think we've earned a rest now. Goodnight girls." Yang grumbled as she tried to sleep. All of the girls gradually fell asleep, happy to finally have a rest.

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait everyone. But here you go! The next chapter in the Young Inquisitor! Hopefully everyone's happy with the chapter. I'll figure out a way to incorporate everyone into the story. Until next time!

-Chief


	6. Chapter 6: Working Out

Hello everyone! Apologies for the long wait for the next chapter. Life has been… maddening. So, I'll get this out to all of you.

Chapter 6: Working Out

Ruby and her team were sleeping happily, racked out on their fluffy feather beds. Josie went to great lengths to get them those beds to ensure their herald and her friends were at the top of their game. Unfortunately, that happy sleep was interrupted as Josie threw open the door, flooding the room with light. She looked like she did last night… and the night before… and the night before in her golden dress and perfect bun.

"Rise and shine everyone! We have a busy day ahead of us!" Josephine cheered as she started looking over her list. The Herald needed to maintain her physical strength, so she was set to go on a morning run with the Misfits. Then breakfast, which rolled straight into a classroom session about the history of Thedas, or at least the most abridged version that could be mustered. Then possible combat training with the soldiers in order for her to gain some knowledge with the weapons of their world. The girls groaned, generally unhappy to be woken up, especially after such an eventful few days.

"Please Josie… five more minutes…" Ruby groaned as she pulled a pillow over her head. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up with whatever day Josie had planned for her. The only thing she would really look forward to would be the inevitable competition for her affection between Raphael the Templar and Malachi the Assassin. She had to admit… two guys fighting over her was pretty nice. Usually Yang was the one with guys following her… although this world was no different.

Many of the male soldiers, and even a few female ones, were swooning over Yang. Apparently a woman of her… physique, was rare in Thedas, or at least a woman who was so bold to show skin like that. But still, men fighting over her… pretty nice.

"Oh no, Ruby. You have quite the day ahead of you. Come now, get some comfortable clothing on. Ones that you don't mind getting sweaty during a run." Josephine pointed out as she walked away. All of the girls groaned as they started to drag themselves out of bed, just wanting an additional hour or two for sleep. They begrudgingly changed into some Thedas friendly workout clothing, which was a t-shirt and loose pants. Yang, naturally, ended up tearing the collar down the middle, making room for her ample bust and guaranteed to turn a few heads.

They all dragged their feet before walking out to the training yard, looking for the Misfits to join their morning run. They were easily found since they were really the only ones up at this early in the morning, other than Commander Cullen who was talking with Brianna. Talking was a bit of an overstatement, considering Brianna was wearing the Thedas equivalent of a tank top, which was a shirt cut at the midriff and the top torn like Yang's, and Cullen was constantly looking at her exposed skin.

"Hey Cullen! Her eyes are a bit higher!" Yang called as they joined the group in their stretching. Cullen blushed and rubbed the back of his head while Brianna started to laugh and pat Cullen on the back. Weiss and Blake chuckled a bit, thinking it was a bit cute that a man that was held in high esteem could still be embarrassed by something so small… like flirting. Ruby, however, didn't notice too much since she was drooling over the two gentlemen that were currently stretching without shirts on… despite the cold.

Blake and Weiss looked at Ruby curiously as she drool over the heavily built Templar and the toned, well-defined assassin. Ruby had never really had an interest in guys since she was always drooling over weapons more, but it seemed she wasn't just interested in guns that fired bullets anymore.

"Ruby… are you… checking them out?" Weiss questioned as she slid over to Ruby's side, taking a look at the men from her perspective. She could see the attraction, they both took care of themselves, which was obvious.

"What!? No!" Ruby defended as she looked away from Raphael and Malachi, only to look at them out of the corner of her eye. Blake stepped behind Ruby and noticed that the two weren't really stretching as they were… flexing.

"So… which is Raphael and which is Malachi?" Blake questioned, tilting her head and seeing how Ruby finally came around to physical attraction.

"The… big one is Raph and the toned one is Mal…" Ruby replied, starting to turn a bit red. She felt weird… talking about guys with her friends… or in general. Thedas was the first place she actually started to think about boys.

"I say Raph." Yang input as she joined the group in the man watching. Raph was clearly the better looker with larger muscles, and more importantly, he wasn't peeking on Ruby while she was changing. "Much sexier."

"But Mal is toned… and bad…" Ruby added quietly.

"Wow… this is a whole new experience." Weiss commented, smiling a bit that Ruby was starting to grow up. A quick whistle from Brianna yanked everyone's attention to her and Cullen.

"Ladies, I will begin charging you if you continue to eye fuck my boys." Brianna called, putting her hands on her hips. Ruby was the only one to blush horribly while the other smirked at Ruby. She patted Cullen on the back and joined the group, instructing "Alright, we'll be taking the usual path. Ladies, just keep pace with us and you'll start to see the path. Hope everyone is stretched out! Let's get going!"

Brianna started to jog, everyone else starting to fall in line with her, Misfits on the left with Team RWBY on the right. It wasn't long before Team RWBY figured out they were jogging the path that went around Haven, including the lake. The group kept together pretty well, except Ruby kept stealing looks at Raphael and Malachi, which slowed her down pace, which in turn slowed down the rest of Team RWBY's pace. Malachi and Raphael noticed this look and started to speed up their paces, more than likely to try and impress Ruby. The two slowly kept increasing their speed until they were naturally sprinting, the larger group watching them run off until they were out of sight.

"I have ten gold Raph collapses first!" Ataashi called with a laugh, basically the new Misfits running leader other than Brianna.

"I'll match that on Mal dropping first." Racheal laughed. Everyone else chuckled as they kept up their jog, the path taking a bit longer than Team RWBY thought before they finally reached the spot they started after nearly ten minutes. There, they found Mal and Raph leaning on their knees, panting hard when the group finally caught up to them. Team RWBY started to slow down… but the Misfits kept going.

"That was just lap one! Hopefully you two haven't burned yourself out trying to impress the Herald!" Brianna called as she kept going. Team RWBY and the two men scrambled to catch up with them, Raph and Mal already huffing and puffing. Three laps more laps around Haven later, everyone was drenched in sweat and panting.

"Nice work everyone in keeping up. Raph, Mal, slow it down next time." Brianna panted as she wiped her brow. "Start the stretch!"

Brianna started the Misftit's stretch, Team RWBY joining in and noticing the stretch was a bit… sexual. There was a lot of bending backwards and forwards. Ruby looked back to see that Cullen was stuck staring at them while working with the morning training session with the soldiers. He looked like he was supposed to be reading some forms, but she could see that he was a tad more interested in an elven mercenary band leader. The stretch eventually ended and everyone headed for the bathhouse, luckily separated between men and women.

The group dispersed to grab their clothes for the day and returned to the bathhouse to clean off the sweat and dirt. The girls stripped and slipped into the large pool of warm water, luckily warmed by special Lyrium burners, a slow steady feeding of magic activated burners that kept the water warm.

"So, Brianna, have your eye on Cullen?" Ruby questioned as she grabbed a washcloth and started cleaning herself off. She wasn't sure either of the two's love life, but she was happy that they seemed to be flirting.

"Can't help it. A man in uniform is just so…" Brianna went on with a happy sigh. She slipped a bit more into the water, leaning her head back.

"Alluring." Ataashi finished as she washed herself.

"Attractive." Reka continued as she relaxed in the water.

"Thanks ladies." Brianna laughed as she splashed at them, earning a chuckle from everyone else as they started washing themselves. Brianna pointed out "Besides, I'm not the only one that has their eye on a man, or in your case, Ruby, two."

"Yeah, I'm curious about that myself. Tell us about that." Racheal asked as she relaxed in the water.

"Well… boys never really interested me… mainly because they were never interested in me." Ruby responded. Which was entirely true, most guys were never interested in her. Ruby went on "Then… Mal started doing his thing… and Raphael is so sweet…"

"It's nice to see you have started looking at something other than your weapon." Weiss pointed out as she finished cleaning herself off. Everyone chuckled as they finished up, drying off and getting dressed. They went to the tavern for food since it was better breakfast than the barracks mess. Whoever the cook was, they were pretty good. Eggs cooked to perfection with bacon at the nice median of crispy and chewy with oatmeal that was at the perfect consistency. It was definitely a great start to the day; one that was going to last quite a while. Team RWBY headed for the Chantry where they would meet Josie for their Thedas History lesson.

They stepped into her office, where she was currently buried in papers, quills and ink wells.

"Ambassador, we're here for our lesson." Ruby announced as they entered. Josie looked up with a smile, her joyous attitude was painfully infectious.

"Oh! I'm glad that all of you wish to learn about Thedas." Josie practically cheered as she got up from her desk.

"Wait, so the rest of us don't have to listen to this?" Yang questioned, really wanting to get out of going back to school.

"Well, no, it's really just for the Herald, but you can still…" Josie attempted to entice. She wanted Ruby and her friends and sister to learn about the great history of Thedas, but she couldn't force them if they didn't want to.

"Bye!" Yang turned and walked straight out of Josie's office.

"Madam Vivienne has some training for me." Weiss stated as she slipped out.

"I'll stay and learn." Blake exclaimed as she took a seat on the bench Josie had in her office. It would be beneficial for her to learn about the world they were in. Josie smiled as she pulled her chair around and Ruby joined Blake on the bench.

"So, there is quite a bit to start with. So, I will give a shorter version. Where shall we start?" Josie questioned.

"Well, who is Andraste? And The Maker?" Ruby questioned.

"Well, The Maker is… the Maker. He created the world as we know it. And Andraste was his bride, the woman that freed Thedas from control of the Tevinter Imperium. She led both men and elves, spreading the word of the Maker… until she was betrayed by her husband, Maferath." Josie explained as best she could.

"Wait, so who was her husband? This Mafahfah, or the Maker?" Ruby questioned as she raised her hand.

"Technically, Maferath was her betrothed husband, but Andraste was in love with The Maker."

"So, why did Maferath betray Andraste?" Blake questioned, curious about the entire situation.

"He was jealous of the love Andraste had for the Maker, so he sold her out to the Imperium." Josie sighed since it was a sad tale.

"Wow… that's sad." Ruby added as she looked down. To be betrayed by your husband because he was jealous? Really sad.

"It is, but it was that event that unified her cause, and we won our independence from the Imperium and the Chantry was established." Josie added to try and pep Ruby up. Seeing the Herald so down was a bit disheartening. "So, next question?"

"I've heard people talk about some event called a Blight that happened several years ago. What exactly is a Blight?" Blake questioned. People in Val Royeaux brought it up whenever they talked about the Mage Rebellion as well as a place called Kirkwall.

"A Blight is when an Archdemon is created, amassing a horde of Darkspawn to destroy the world as we know it." Josie attempted to explain. She wasn't the best at explaining the intricacy of a Blight. "Warden Blackwall may know more. As for what happened during the Fifth Blight, an Elven Grey Warden named Lilith gathered the forced of Thedas, stopping Teryn Loghain from seizing power and raising Alistair Therin to the throne."

"Impressive. She did all of this by herself?" Blake questioned. Leliana then walked into the room with a few papers in her hand.

"She did not. There was a small group that helped her achieve victory, and I was lucky to be among them. There was Lilith and Alistair, the Grey Wardens. Morrigan, the Witch of the Wilds. Sten, the hornless Qunari. Oghren, the now Grey Warden and previously drunken disgraced warrior. Wynne, the healer with a Spirit of Faith. Zevran Ariani, the Crow Assassin and Shale, the living Golem. And of course, me." Leliana explained as she handed the papers to Josiphine. "Together, we brought stability to Thedas when it had gone mad and stopped the Blight."

"Such a small group, and you guys saved the world? That's so cool!" Ruby cheered. To think that such a group like that could save the world; it gave her hope that the Inquisition could close the Breach.

"And much more. We found new friends, fixed old friendships… even found love." Leliana replied with a smile.

"Love?"

"Yes. Lilith and I fell in love during our travels."

"Wow…" Ruby said in amazement. For all of that to happen was almost beyond belief. Ruby noticed that Josie was looking at the papers with a very serious expression.

"Sister Leliana, are you positive that this is correct?" Josephine questioned.

"I was simply handed the letter, but the seal was legitimate, and I know a forgery when I see one." Leliana stated.

"Then this must be handled! Apologies for cutting our lesson short." Josephine apologized as she scurried to her desk. Blake and Ruby both groaned as they got up, heading out only to find Sera waiting by the door, giggling a bit.

"Why do I feel this is your doing?" Blake questioned with a sigh. Sera was always pulling pranks and messing with people. Granted, she generally did it when people started getting stressed or were taking things too seriously.

"Cause we can't have Ruby all work and not play, ya?" Sera chuckled as she stood up straight. "Hey Rubles, wanna go get the right amount of cream for a pie?"

"Do I!?" Ruby cheered. As fun as learning about Thedas was, especially since it was a world of magic and elves and dwarves and dragons, but it was still school.

"Then let's go!"

Sera and Ruby ran off, slipping past Weiss and Vivienne practicing their magic. The two easily slipped into the kitchen while the cooks were away, taking a deserved break for cooking for the entirety of Haven.

"Alright, step one: ingredients!" Sera cheered as she started looking around the kitchen for the ingredients. "We need eggs!"

Ruby dug around with Sera until she found the box of eggs.

"Got 'em!" Ruby cheered as she held up a handful. Sera turned around with a large bowl in hand and a large smile. Ruby smiled as Sera squared the bowl up on her chest, and she knew exactly what to do. Ruby shuffled the eggs to one hand, lightly tossing one in her hand.

"Give it your best, Rubes!" Sera cheered as she readied herself. Ruby reeled back and threw the egg, going high and hitting the wall behind Sera. She looked back and chuckled "You're aim is shite! How do you hit anything with that oversized crossbow?"

"My aim is perfect! I just needed a practice throw!" Ruby barked as she readied another egg. Sera braced herself and Ruby threw another egg, nailing the bowl. She readied another egg as she exclaimed "Get ready for the rest!"

Ruby started hurling the eggs, Sera catching the splatter in a bowl as the two laughed.

"Alright, we've got the eggs. What next?" Ruby questioned.

"Flour!" Sera called as she set the bowl down. The two began to rummage through the cupboards once again, Sera being the one to find the flour. She opened the bag and instructed "Now, just a handful."

She pulled her arm back and slammed the flour into the bowl, sending up a cloud of flour that caused them both to start coughing. Once they were done with their coughing fit, they both looked at each other, both of their faces and their hair misted white. Both kept their composure until Ruby snorted and started to laugh, causing Sera to laugh with her. Unfortunately, during their laugh, the cooks returned to their post, finding their mess.

"What in Andraste's tit's!?" The head chef barked. Ruby and Sera looked at him with a look of knowing they were in trouble before Ruby made a quick decision.

"Run!" Ruby shouted as she flashed to the door. Sera quickly followed as the head chef went after them, but had zero hopes of actually catching them. The two ran out of the kitchens into the cold Haven air, laughing as they ran all the way to the tavern. The two hid in one of the corners, panting and laughing.

"That… was fun, yeah?" Sera panted/ chuckled. The great Herald of Andraste needed to be down the Thedas, to have fun once in a while. The last thing she needed was for Ruby to break under all Josie's history lessons, Solas' Fade talk and Vivienne's magic lectures. She may have also stolen Josie's itinerary for Ruby and it was just so… dull.

"Yeah, tons of fun. Definitely… need to do it… again." Ruby laughed as she took a deep breath. It was nice to feel the stress of the job start to roll off her shoulders. Sera was a bit… off, but she was a good person, definitely fun though. Ruby took a deep breath to compose herself, finding getting level. She continued "Well, I think I'll get some combat training with Cullen."

"Good idea. Can't use that oversized gardening tool forever. Good luck." Sera replied as she waved Ruby off. Ruby left the tavern and headed to the training yard seeing Cullen working the troops. Ruby slipped by the troops to see Cullen reading over a list that was handed to him by one of Leliana's scouts. He handed it off as Ruby slid over to his side.

"Ah, Ruby. I wasn't expecting you until later." Cullen commented as he turned to see Ruby. He couldn't help but think that she was such a tiny thing. She had almost no muscle density and was as skinny as a pole. He was supposed to train her on the weapons of their world… but what the hell was he going to train her on?

"Yeah, Josie got busy with something. So I figured I'd get an early start on our combat training. So, what will be working on?" Ruby explained and questioned. She had no idea on what Cullen was going to train her on, so she was pretty excited.

"Not sure. What would you like to train on? I'm skilled in the sword and shield, but if you want to learn something bigger, I'm sure The Iron Bull could help with that."

"Hmm… I don't know. I mean… I don't think I could swing around an axe like Bull, but a sword and shield would be a bit… cumbersome."

"Maybe… let's see."

Bull had spotted Ruby walking over to Cullen and decided to join in, see if he could add anything.

"Hey Cullen, Imekari. What's the plan?" Bull questioned.

"Trying to figure out a weapon set for Ruby." Cullen answered. "And no, we aren't giving her a massive axe."

"Nah, too big for her. Granted, she's good with that curved blade of hers, but it's a lot lighter than it looks. What are the options?"

"Well, Cullen knows sword and shield, but then I lose out on power swings." Ruby updated. She wanted to be able to practically finish a fight in a swing or two, but a shield would put her more on the defensive. "But I don't want to be the one to tank the hits."

"Then how about we give you a buckler and a bastard sword?" Bull suggested. "Small shield, maneuverable and good to deflect hits. Then the bastard sword can give you the power, plus you can swap to two hands. Best of both."

"That is a great idea, Bull. Ruby?" Cullen replied. It was a great idea, giving Ruby the options to deal with the situations.

"I think it will work… in theory." Ruby chuckled. She knew how to handle Crescent Rose, but she didn't have much of an idea on how to use a sword and shield. Cullen nodded and went to the training gear, grabbing a buckler and a large wooden bastard sword, one with an iron bar in the center to give it the weight. Ruby took the buckler and strapped it onto her arm before taking the blade with one hand, then immediately dropping it. The wooden blade plunged into the snow and dirt, earning a chuckle from Cullen and Bull. Ruby chuckled "That's heavier than it looks."

"That's the idea. Try two hands first." Cullen advised. He had seen that enough times, recruits underestimating the amount of weight a weapon had. Ruby nodded and picked up the sword with both hands, thanks to the buckler simply tied to her forearm. It was definitely different from Crescent Rose, which was more top heavy, since the weight was a bit more distributed. Cullen grabbed a training blade himself and taking a relaxed fighting stance. Cullen instructed "Alright, now take it slow. Try a few swings to get used to the weight."

Ruby nodded and took a side swing at Cullen, but she stumbled under the weight of the weapon as the wooden blades clacked together. Bull chuckled as Cassandra and Blackwall walked over, wanting to see the Herald of Andraste learning their weapons. Ruby gained her footing and took another swing, handling it better than before. Cullen smiled as Ruby was quickly picking up on the swings, the wood clacking and grinding as he blocked and deflected the swings.

"Alright, now I'll try swinging back. You can try to block with your sword, or you can try with your shield." Cullen advised.

"Remember, it's a buckler. Good for deflecting, not so much for blocking." Blackwall chimed in. He had seen enough broken arms from recruits trying to block a greatsword with a shield. Ruby nodded and prepared for Cullen's swings, which he took slow. Ruby tried Blackwall's advice, except her instinct took over and fully blocked the swing… which was a large mistake. The blade hit… and the edge of her shield clipped the bottom of her jaw. Luckily her aura still worked and she didn't sustain any damage… but it still hurt like hell.

Cullen immediately stopped when Ruby dropped her sword and grabbed her chin, doubling over in pain and groaning.

"Ruby! Are you alright?" Cullen questioned as he dropped his blade and ran over to her. The last thing they needed was for Ruby to get hurt during her break from going out and dealing with the perils of the world.

"Yeah… that just hurt… a lot." Ruby groaned as she rubbed her chin. She stood up straight to see everyone had gathered around her with worry on their faces. She held her head high, brushing off the attack and grabbing her discarded weapon. Cullen smirked as he stood back and readied himself to go again. Bull, Blackwall and Cassandra stepped back and allowed them to go at their training session.

The training went on for an hour or two, and Ruby was exhausted. Fighting with a sword and shield was definitely more taxing than Crescent Rose, which she could use the recoil to help her swing out.

"Good training for the day, but it's good to also take the relaxation to recover." Cullen advised. Ruby was picking up on the fighting style pretty quickly, but she still needed time to practice and refine her technique. Ruby and Cullen put their weapons away, Ruby groaning as her arms and shoulders ached. Cullen advised "I recommend plenty of meat and vegetables and water. Rebuild the muscles after tearing them today."

"Thanks Cullen, for the advice and training." Ruby replied as she rubbed her shoulders. She knew she was going to have a rough next day.

"Of course. We'll pick up again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! I probably won't be able to move my arms tomorrow!"

"Exactly. That way, your body will become more adjusted to the weight and strain." Cassandra chimed in as she strode over to Ruby and Cullen.

"Ugh… I guess." Ruby groaned again. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with sore muscles during more weapons training.

"For now, take some time to yourself. Relax and recuperate."

"Yeah, I will."

Ruby started heading back to her room, hoping to hide from any other responsibility she could possibly have. She was near the Inquisition Quartermaster when she spotted Malachi leaning by the Chantry door with that constant, pride filled smirk.

"Hey Red, have fun with the sword play?" Mal questioned as he took himself off the wall. He noticed her rubbing her shoulders as she looked away.

"Yeah, Cullen really helped me learn to use a blade." Ruby replied.

"I bet he did." Mal chuckled at her choice of words. Ruby looked at him funny and realized he was making a sex joke.

"Not funny!" Ruby barked as she lightly pushed him. She blushed hard and looked away, because it was a bit weird since she was starting to have thoughts of… sword play… with him or Raphael.

"I'm sorry. So, feeling a bit sore?"

"Yeah…"

"You know, I'm good with my hands. Perhaps I could massage you later?" Mal questioned as he put a hand on her bicep. Ruby blushed a bit harder, thinking about Malachi having his hands on her bare skin.

"M… maybe…" Ruby stammered a bit. It was a bit of an accident that she responded with that.

"Oh? Alright then. Just let me know when I can." Mal responded as he patted her shoulder lightly. Mal walked off and started whistling, Ruby feeling her hairline start to vanish her face was so red. She slipped into the Chantry and headed for her room, only to be intercepted by Leliana.

"So, are massages going to cost us a bit extra?" Leliana chuckled.

"You… heard that…" Ruby mumbled.

"Yes, I did. So, from what I've heard, boys aren't your forte."

"No, they aren't. Can we discuss this somewhere… private?"

Leliana nodded and the two went to Team RWBY room, Leliana taking a seat at the desk while Ruby sat on her bed. She intentionally laid down, feeling her soreness starting to melt away on the soft bed.

"So, massages from Malachi and Raphael doing your laundry. Do you naturally get this much attention? Or is it just recently?" Leliana questioned.

"Recent… like when I got here, recent." Ruby admitted.

"So, no dealing with boys back home?"

"Like… none."

"Well, I can certainly help you dealing with them. Step one isn't giving the rogue the idea of giving you a massage… unless you truly want one."

"I mean… kinda…" Ruby admitted. This whole… having guys flirt with you and you actually enjoying it… was new and confusing.

"Well, be careful with that one. That's all I can say." Leliana stated as she stood up and headed out. Ruby took a deep breath and sighed as she worked her boots off, then started working on her gear. She was exhausted, and a nap seemed like the best idea at the moment. She got down to her underwear, grabbed a large shirt and flopped down on her bed. She knew she was going to be busy in the next few days since she needed to go meet with Grand Enchanter Fiona in Redcliffe and see what she had to say about a meeting.

Ruby's eyes started to droop as exhaustion started to take over, and she started to fall asleep.

 **A/N:** Apologies for the wait. So, here is a bit of a fun chapter. Next will be a bit more… plotty? If that's a word. Anyway, PM or review with any thoughts, comments or concerns. Until next time.

-Chief


	7. Chapter 7: Redcliffe

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait on any new chapters. Just had some huge changes in life that prevented just about everything from getting a whole lot of anything done. But regardless, NEW CHAPTER!

Chapter 7: Redcliffe

Ruby groaned hard as the knocking on her door slowly turned more into banging. Her body had started to relax, and therefore started to get sore so the last thing she wanted to do was move around. She took her pillow from beneath her and put it over her head in an attempt to drown out the sound of fist on wood. She groaned as the knocking finally stopped, but she heard the door finally open and a familiar voice called to her.

"Hey there, Petals. What are you doing in bed?" Malachi chuckled as he shut the door behind him. Ruby was bundled up in the bed with her pillow over her head. She looked absolutely adorable, and he couldn't help but wonder what was beneath the blanket.

"Go away… let me sleep." Ruby groaned as she curled up a little bit more.

"Come on. Josie is looking for you since she wants you and a few others to head to Redcliffe."

"Ugh… I don't wanna go…"

"I know you don't, but you were the one that got the invitation from the Grand Enchanter. Anyway… I'll make you a deal. You agree to get up and go to Redcliffe, and I'll make you more of those cookies I've heard you enjoy." Malachi chuckled as he leaned against the wardrobe, hoping that would get her out of the bed. Luckily, he was right, Ruby proceeded to sit up onto her side, her dark red hair sticking up in all directions.

"So, you did make those cookies." Ruby stated as she started to remove herself from her cocoon of blankets. She dropped the blanket to show Mal she was wearing a large t-shirt that covered her body, but gave Mal a lovely look at her legs. She looked at him and noticed his stare on her body, which usually made her super uncomfortable, but now it was only slightly. She pointed out "I need to get dressed."

"And? Not like I haven't seen what's under that shirt already… unless there isn't anything under there." Mal chuckled as he imagined Ruby's young curves. He saw the look on Ruby's face, one of embarrassment and anger. He held up his hands and turned around, stating "Alright, I'm not looking. I swear. But to answer your previous question; yes, I did make the cookies."

"Really? I didn't realize you were a chef." Ruby stated as she got up and grabbed her armor for the trip, being prepared for anything. She double checked to make sure Mal wasn't getting a free peek on her, seeing that he still had his back to her. She made her change quickly, slipping into under armor. She sighed "Okay, you can turn back around."

Mal turned back as Ruby started to get the rest of her armor on, but he got a nice eyeful of her womanly shape, including her very toned rear that the armor only helped make look better.

"Damn, I heard you didn't get much attention from guys back home, but I can't see how you didn't." Mal complimented/ flirted, or do what he considered a compliment. Ruby looked back as she pulled her skirt up, covering her rear. It was weird for her to allow a guy to get such an… in depth look at her.

"Because I have an older, curvier blonde sister." Ruby pointed out as she put on her corset and shirt. It took her a minute to get her gear on while Malachi simply soaked up the view. Once she was done, she grabbed Crescent Rose and walked out. She turned to see Raphael about halfway down the walkway when Malachi walked out of the room behind her. Ruby watched as a look of surprise washed over Raph's face, and she could feel the smug look Malachi had on his face. Raph shook his head a bit and updated them.

"Ambassador Montilyet wanted me to come get you. There is a caravan about to leave in a few minutes for the crossroads. From there we can head for Redcliffe." Raphael updated, looking away from the two of them. Ruby felt a little bit guilty since she had lead Raphael on just a little bit… not like she hadn't been leading Malachi on just as much.

"Thanks, Raph. Has anyone else decided to join us?" Ruby questioned as she walked a bit closer to him.

"Yes, Ser Blackwall, Sera and Weiss have decided to join while Brianna has me and Racheal joining you."

"Okay… good team…"

"Yes, well, I need to get ready."

He turned and left, leaving Ruby feeling a little bit guilty for her actions. Malachi simply patted her back as he walked by and headed out of the Chantry. She groaned herself as her shoulders dropped thinking that she was just terrible at handling situations with these two. She simply kept walking and headed for the departure area, seeing that everyone was set up and ready to get moving. Blackwall was wearing his silver Grey Warden armor with his sword on his hip and his shield on his back. Sera had her quiver on her back and was plucking her bow's string, making sure that it was still taunt.

Weiss had her rapier on her hip, but had a staff on her back that had a large, crystal orb on it. Racheal and Raphael had their usual gear, not very different from Blackwall and Weiss.

"Is everyone ready? Ruby questioned as she adjusted her pack.

"Yeah, been waiting on you to get done with ya dark and mysterious man." Sera chuckled as she put her bow on her back. Ruby's face lit up in embarrassment as Blackwall laughed and Weiss looked at Ruby in sheer surprise.

"What?!" Weiss barked at Ruby as she grabbed her hood and pulled it over her head as Blackwall patted her back. Weiss continued "Ruby! You should not be doing anything with that… that… him!"

"We didn't do anything! He came to tell me we were leaving for Redcliffe!" Ruby replied from beneath her hood. She groaned as she started to slide over to the wagon they were going to be taking "Can we just get going?"

Everyone chuckled, minus Raphael and Weiss, and climbed into the wagon; Ruby and Raph ending up sitting at the ends facing each other. Neither of them could meet each other's gaze, until they accidently met… creating a painfully awkward moment between the two of them that filled the entire wagon.

"So… how are things?" Ruby questioned, just doing her best to break the awkward silence.

"Things are… good…" Raph kinda grumbled. He was a bit miffed that Malachi was with Ruby in her room… doing who knows what but probably something he wanted to do himself. Ruby was a strong young woman that had been thrust with responsibility that only legends would ever get and she had went through it without an ounce of effort.

"Bloody hell, can you two just kiss already? Save us these awkward silences and conversations." Blackwall grumbled. He had seen this a thousand times before in young soldiers, feelings and attractions that threw their minds into disarray to the point they couldn't speak. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see both of their hairlines start to disappear as their faces started to turn a bright red. Ruby cleared her throat as she decided to speak up.

"Raphael… Raph… Malachi and I didn't do anything. He really did just come to tell me that Josie had set this caravan up." Ruby explained, deciding to omit the part of her changing while he was still in the room where he got a look of her in her under armor clothes.

"It's fine. You can do what you please, Ruby. You're a young woman and do what you want with who you want. If you want to be with Malachi… then that's fine." Raphael explained. Granted, the last part was practically poison in his own mouth since he detested Malachi. Everything from his dishonest way of fighting to his 'I'm the shit' personality thinking he was the greatest thing on Thedas. And, of course, he had to be attracted to the same woman as that puffed up knife thrower.

"I mean, I'm not really decided on boys yet. Sure, Mal is the bad boy who bakes cookies… but you're the sweet warrior that thinks about the sentimental things… like cleaning my cloak." Ruby explained as she put her hand on his knee. She could see Raph's smile start to light his face up, seeing that there was still hope he could win her heart. Her own mind started to whirl since she still had no clue which guy she would want to go out with and she didn't want to lead either guy on just to knock them down. She sighed "I just… I just need time to figure out quite a few things before I start trying to date."

"It's okay, take all the time you need." Raph replied as he put his hand on hers. The two shared a smile and a long gaze until Sera broke the moment.

"You know there's still people here, ya?" She questioned as the two broke away, looking even more red than they had before.

The ride to the Hinterlands took a day and a half, then it was a short walk to the gates of Redcliffe. Luckily, the roads were clear since the Misfits had handled the bandit issue, as well as the local rogue Templars and crazed rebel Mages. They were on the path to the gates when a guard was sprinting at them, the woman in metal armor looking terrified.

"Demons! At the gate!" She screamed as she ran past them, everyone looking at each other with confused looks.

"Nothing is ever simple…" Racheal sighed as she pulled her staff off her back. Everyone drew their weapons and ran for the gate, seeing a Fade Rift in front of the gate. This one was different though since there were strange… circles on the ground. Some were a dulled green like the rift while others were a brighter green. The Rift opens, sending demons out into their world, but they were ready for whatever came forth.

Raphael was the first up, donning his helmet while drawing his sword and shield. He stood near the bright green rift as a Terror demon materialized, but something extremely odd happened. Once the demon stepped into the circle, its actions doubled in speed and caught Raphael off guard. The demon's attacks were a flurry that Raph was not prepared for, his shield not being able to catch the swings as claws raked against his Templar armor. Raph faltered, unable to keep up with the lighting strikes, but luckily Weiss acted quickly and slammed her staff into the ground and froze the demon solid. Sera was the one to shatter the creature, putting two arrows into its face and turning it into shards.

Blackwall spotting two Wraiths spawn from the Rift and chose to charge them, but there was a dulled circle between him and them. The moment he stepped foot into the circle, his speed was halved as if he was running through water. The Wraiths created balls of negative energy in their hands and launched them at Blackwall, who took them with full force. He could feel his energy draining, sapping at his strength like some sort of demonic leech. Racheal chose to support him, swinging her staff in an arc and creating a glyph, sending missiles of magical fire and slamming into the spirits and tearing them apart.

Ruby could see how the magic was working and decided to use it to her advantage. She rushed forward as another Terror demon spawned, black, soulless eyes searching for prey in the battle. Flying past Raph in a blur, she propelled herself forward with increased speed and swung her scythe with frightening speed, cleaving the Terror demon in half with ease. She nearly ran into the gates since she was going a bit faster than she usually was, even with her semblance. Luckily she caught the ground and spun around as the Rift opened again and spewed more demons free.

Everyone had learned their lessons with the strange circles of energy on the ground and took appropriate positions. Sera and Weiss headed up to the small rock outcropping where a circle would speed them up while Raphael and Blackwall formed a slam shield wall behind a slowing circle with Racheal standing behind them. Two Terror demons and four Shades spawned, immediately honing in the two shield wielders. The shades were the first to charge, immediately getting caught in the slowing circle. Racheal spun her staff and slammed it into the ground, creating a fire glyph beneath their feet and igniting the Shades

Raphael and Blackwall proceeded to chop the Shades down as they slowly crawled their way to the two warriors. The Terror demons stood little chance as the twin barrage of arrows and ice magic shredded the two of them apart, partly in thanks to the speed circle. Once the demons were eviscerated, the Fade Rift opened and Ruby flung her hand forward and started to close the Rift. Once it was closed, the circles faded away, as if they weren't there.

"What was going on?" Ruby questioned as she collapsed Crescent Rose, hoping someone had an answer.

"It seems like the Rift was… creating lapses in time…" Racheal stated as she observed where the energy circles. She had been studying the Rift and wondering if there was a way to harness the energy into more powerful magic...

"Lapses… in time? Sounds like bad kinda crazy." Sera commented as she put her bow on her back

"Hopefully Grand Enchanter Fiona will have some answered for us." Ruby sighed as she looked at the gate, seeing several guards like the one that ran by them before come to the gate. They started to raise the gates, when an Inquisition soldier approached them.

"Herald, I have news. It seems that no one here knew of our arrival… and we were not the first ones here." The solider reported as he took a knee in front of Ruby.

"We just got the invite… who beat us here?"

"It seems a Magister from Tevinter arrived before us, and he is in control of Redcliffe. We were instructed to tell you that Grand Enchanter Fiona would be in the local Inn, The Gull and Lantern, for you to meet the Magister."

Ruby turned to her group, hoping that someone would enlighten her on what exactly he was saying.

"Magisters are like the Senators of the Imperium, Ruby. They dictate the matters of magic and law for the Emperor of the Imperium." Weiss quickly surmised. She went on "And it seems that he somehow beat us here and took over."

"Well… looks like we need to figure out how this came to be. Let's find the Inn." Ruby sighed as she stepped through the gate. She was greeted by a mystifying sight. Redcliffe sat on a small cove with Castle Redcliff sitting on the Cliffside. The two sprawled along the hills with people milling about, the rustic nature really appealing to Ruby. The water sparkled as if it were made from nothing but sapphires against the afternoon sun. She gasped "Wow… this is amazing…"

"It is a gorgeous sight, but it's not what we came for." Blackwall reminded as he patted her shoulder. Ruby nodded and the group headed down the path, passing a group of soldiers that looked like the ones that the Iron Bull and the Chargers were fighting at the Storm Coast. The group simply walked past them, but kept a wary eye on them. They could hear people talking to one another about all of the Tevinter soldiers and that they had forced most of the Chantry sisters out. They walked past a statue of a Griffon, commemorating the Hero of Fereldan when she saved Redcliffe from a horde of the undead and cured Arl Eamon's sickness.

They approached the Gull and Lantern, a two floor wooden building with a sign hanging from a post out front. Ruby took a deep breath and straightened herself out, making herself look presentable since she kinda was the face of the Inquisition. She stepped inside, seeing that the Inn wasn't very populated, just a few patrons, a man with his nose in a book with a weird symbol on his forehead and Grand Enchanter Fiona and a few mages sat in the back corner. There were tables set up around the edges of the bar with a set of stairs off to her left

"Grand Enchanter Fiona." Ruby called out as she walked over to the elven mage. Fiona stood up and greeted Ruby very formally.

"Greetings, Herald of Andraste. It is quite a surprise to see you here. We would have made arrangements of your arrival if we had prior notice of your arrival." Fiona greeted with a small bow. Ruby looked back at her group with a confused look, Blackwall and Sera having the same confused look while Raphael, Racheal and Weiss simply shrugged.

"But… you did invite me… back in Val Royeaux." Ruby responded in a very confused tone.

"Val Royeaux? I haven't been there in months, not since the Templars cornered our group here."

"But… it was you…" Ruby kinda repeated as her mind went into a whirl of what the hell was happening right now. She shook her head and questioned "So… who is actually in charge?"

"That, would be me." A male voice answered from the stairs, She looked over to see a man in red Magister robes, very regal with the hood pulled up that had small pieces of fabric on the top that made it look like he had horns that went back on the top and sides of his head. He had a pretty normal shaped face with a strong jawline. He had the shadow of a beard and signs of aging with dark brown eyes. He introduced "Magister Gereon Alexius of the Tevinter Imperium."

Ruby bowed before the man in a sign of respect as she viewed his retinue. There were two soldiers like the ones out front and an additional man with them. He wore similar robes to the ones Alexius wore, except they were yellow instead of red. He had a similar look to Alexius, but was much younger.

"This is my son, Felix." Alexius continued as the young man bowed.

"A pleasure, Magister Alexius. So… how did you come to be in charge around here?" Ruby questioned as she stood up straight.

"The Arl was… convinced to leave for his own safety due to the on growing conflict between the Mages and Templars. The Templars had the Mages here trapped, but luckily, I was able to rush in and save them." Alexius answered with a bit of smugness in his voice. There was something else in his voice that put Ruby at a bit of… unease, like when Leliana spoke to her, that while he spoke there was a dagger in his hand for her.

"Your arrival was, quite well timed." Fiona added with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, like she was having trouble that he arrived at just the right moment.

"And, in gratitude for their rescue, the mages here signed into servitude to the Imperium for their own protection." Alexius explained.

"So, the free Mages are… slaves?" Ruby questioned, finding it a bit of a surprise that slavery was still a thing here. She thought that Thedas was a little bit more… enlightened, but looks were apparently deceiving.

"For a period of ten years, then after service in the Imperial Army, they will be free citizens of Tevinter."

"You said we wouldn't be soldiers! There are children!" Fiona protested.

"And they shall serve the Imperium in any way it deems fit!"

"So… I talk to you about borrowing the Mages to seal the Breach?" Ruby questioned, trying to get off the subject of people selling themselves into servitude.

"Of course. Felix, fetch a scribe for this. Please, follow me, Herald." Alexius replied, happy that she was willing to negotiate with him. The two went to a table in the corner, Ruby and Alexius being the only ones to sit while everyone else stood. Alexius started "So, I'm assuming that you want to use the Mages here to help you close the Breach?"

"That is correct. A lot of magic is needed to do so." Ruby answered. She could see the smirk on his face as she answered. There was venom behind that smile, like there was more that he wasn't telling her.

"Of course, such a drastic feat requires an equal amount of daring attitude. Of course, such services would not be cheap."

Ruby was about to say something when Felix returned, and he did not look very well. He was hunched over, hand on his stomach with a hand outstretched and a sickly look on his face. Ruby immediately jumped and went to him as he started to fall forward, catching him before he could hit the floor.

"Felix! Are you alright?" Alexius questioned as he jumped to his son's side.

"I'm… alright…" Felix answered weakly, Ruby feeling something slip into her hand as Felix stood up.

"Apologies Herald, but I must attend to my son. Come, Felix, let me fetch you powders." Alexius urged as he guided his son to the stairs. Ruby waited until the Tevinters were gone before she finally looked at what was in her hand; a note. Her friends huddled around her as she opened the note and read it aloud.

"If you want to know what's going on, come to the Chantry. Well… this simply screams trap." Ruby sighed as she crumpled up the paper and stashed it in her pocket. Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing that this couldn't possibly end well.

"Well, if this does turn out to be a trap, we won't come back empty handed." Racheal piped up, hoping to alleviate the sour mood. "The nice Tranquil that was by the door has offered his services to the Inquisition. Says he's a pretty good alchemist. Figured we can't really turn talent away."

"That's great! We could always use more people." Ruby sighed happily, glad that something good came out of this meeting. The group headed for the Chantry, prepared for anything as Ruby pushed the large wooden door opened. She looked up and spotted a Fade Rift, and one that was creating more of the energy circles on the ground. There was a man fighting a Shade that had to spawn from the Rift, and the man was doing very well. He struck the Shade twice with his weapon before Ruby got a good look at the man as he turned around.

He was a tall man, as tall as Yang, with bronze tanned skin. His hair was jet black with the sides shaved and the top swept to the side with the front fluffed up. He had a moustache that curled at the ends with a very pride filled smirk. He was wearing a long sleeve white shirt with a tall collar that was popped up with a striped undershirt. His pants were a dark brown with matching boots, as well as a leather harness that held a staff sheath.

"There you are. Help me deal with this, wouldn't you?" the man questioned as the Rift opened back up and started spewing demons. No one chose to argue with the man as Wraiths and Terror Demons materialized from the Rift. Blackwall and Raphael charged, using the bright green circles to speed themselves up and using the momentum and slamming into the Terror Demons like semi-trucks. The demons flew back as Racheal and Weiss started throwing magic missiles at the Wraiths in the back while Sera bobbed and weaved through the pillars of the Chantry, arrows flying at lightning speeds.

Ruby flew forward, using a bright green circle and avoided the dull green ones and sliced through the last two Wraiths that survived the barrage of magic and arrows. The Rift opened again, Ruby beating it to the punch and throwing her hand out, the green light of the Mark slamming into the Rift and closing it. She yanked her hand back and the Rift closed, dissipating into a green mist and causing the circles on the ground to disappear as well. The man spun his staff and put it onto his back as he approached her.

"Extraordinary. Do you even know how it works?" The man questioned with a very suave accent. He held himself with high esteem, crossing an arm across his chest while he held a hand at his chin. He spun his wrist and flicked his hand as he went on "Of course not. Why would you? All you do is flick your wrist and poof! Rift closed!"

"So… who are you?" Ruby questioned as she collapsed Crescent Rose and put it on her back.

"Apologies, Dorian Pavus of House Pavus, formerly of Minrathous." He introduced as he bowed regally. Ruby giggled a bit since he was clearly full of himself, but not in a bad way. He seemed like a decently, well, decent guy.

"Nice to meet you, Dorian. I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby greeted as she curtsied to him.

"Great, more Magisters." Blackwall grumbled. This caused Dorian to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose before he replied.

"Look, I'm only going to say this once… I am a Mage from Tevinter, but not all Mages are Magisters. I'm not part of the Magisterium." Dorian replied with a large amount of sass. Blackwall simply chuckled and nodded as Sera giggled.

"Lotta spark in this one. I like him." Sera laughed. "So, whatcha doin' here?"

"Well, I am here because of the actual Magister that is here, Alexius."

"Okay… so why is that?" Ruby questioned. Everything about this was crazy.

"Because of the experiments he's been doing. I used to be his apprentice and experimented on something no one else could dream of doing; time magic." Dorian answered suavely as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Magic to manipulate time? Impossible!" Racheal scoffed, seeing the idea of time magic being ridiculous. Sure, magic was strong, but it wasn't enough to tear time off its constant motion. That's just… rewriting nature.

"It was all purely theoretical. We'd never gotten it to work… until now." Dorian responded.

"Until now? What did he do?" Ruby questioned. The look of thought must have stopped Dorian from answering since the gears started turning in her head when she finally blurted "The rebel Mages!"

"Exactly. He used the magic to save the mages and get them to sign their lives away. But what I can't wrap my fingers around… is why? I'm sure he didn't do it for a hundred lackeys."

"Because he didn't do it for them." Another voice added. Everyone jumped and grabbed their weapons, turning to see Felix walking up to them.

"I was wondering when you'd show. Worried that Alexius would be too busy playing nursemaid." Dorian commented as he walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I shouldn't have feigned illness. It's making him more careful." Felix replied. He looked back to Ruby and pointed at her as he went on "He came back and snagged the Mages to get to you."

"Wow… all that for me… and I didn't get him anything." Ruby chuckled nervously. She really didn't know how to handle someone bending the laws of reality just to get to her.

"Get him one of those fruit baskets, everyone loves those." Dorian chuckled as Blackwall, Weiss and Racheal groaned from the jokes. Raphael and Sera chuckled as Felix simply rolled his eyes.

"So, why? Why does he want me?"

"My father has joined some kind of cult called the Venatori. They're extremists who serve someone called The Elder One, and he wants you." Felix answered. "He's promised them to return Tevinter to its former glory before Andraste."

"That sounds… bad…"

"It would be catastrophic. The entire world would be plunged into a war, and we need to stop them."

"So, you're really going to oppose your father on this?" Weiss questioned, seeing many issues with taking information from the son of a suspected cult.

"I love my father, but this cult… its madness. He says he's doing it to save me… but he can't… and this will ruin everything."

"Are you sick or something? Your dad was pretty worried when you faked being sick." Ruby questioned.

"I am sick, but it's not the point. Right now we need to worry about the Venatori. Right now, they're set up inside the castle. He's filled it with guards, both normal and mages. Not sure how you can get it, but unfortunately that's your problem. I have to go before my father gets suspicious. Good luck."

Felix turned and left, leaving everyone with a bit more on their plates.

"Well, that was certainly cheery. So, any plans?" Dorian questioned as he crossed his arms.

"None… but I have people who might. Do you want to come back with us to Haven? Meet said people?"

"No, but thank you for the offer. I'll stay here and keep an eye on everything here and ensure they don't go anywhere. I know you probably have a hundred other things on your plate, but I insist you hurry."

"Alright, stay safe Dorian. Hopefully we see you soon."

Ruby curtsied to Dorian, him returning the bow, as the group left for Haven with a large amount of information to share.

O00000O00000O

The group returned to Haven, and after a lengthy debrief of everything from the time altering Fade Rifts to the Mages becoming slaves to Tevinter and finally coming to a Venatori cult tearing apart the very fabric of time. All in all… very interesting and eventful day. Cullen, Josephine and Leliana both stared at the table and went over their options on what to do.

"Well, you have given us quite a bit to think over." Josie pointed out as she made a few notes on her clipboard. The Templars were attempting to become a power to be reckoned with while Tevinter Mages were trying to tear apart time.

"I still say the Templars. They can suppress the Breach's power and they can help us deal with these… Venatori." Cullen argued. The last thing he wanted was to fight Templars with Mages, the beings Templars were the best at hunting and killing.

"Again, that is all theory. But regardless of closing the Breach, these Venatori cannot be allowed to continue their work for this… Elder One." Leliana argued.

"This is all up to Ruby to decide. Both sides approached her for their cause, not us." Josie pointed out.

"Well… I don't know… there's so much going on." Ruby groaned as she rubbed the sides of her head. Mages or Templars, Stop rogue Seekers or stop Tevinter cultists… do this or that and suffer the consequences of letting the other run free. She groaned "I need to think. Too much information."

"Very well. We'll take this at another time, but Ruby, you do need to choose soon. I'm not sure either group will sit and wait for you to decide before they make their move."

"I know… I'll sleep on it."

Ruby turned and left the war room and went straight for her room, finding that everyone else was already starting to hunker down for the night.

"Hey Rubes, feeling drained?" Yang questioned as she laid on her side on the bed. She could tell that this whole 'Herald' thing was really starting to burn Ruby out by putting the world on her shoulders, almost literally. Ruby didn't answer, she just flopped face first onto the bed and groaned into the mattress. Weiss rolled her eyes as she brushed her hair and Blake chuckled from behind a book that she had picked up on her venture in Thedas.

"So, Weiss tells us you and Raph had a bit of a moment." Blake pointed out as she turned a page.

"Weiss!" Ruby groaned from the mattress, still staying facedown.

"I figured they deserve to know that our little Ruby was sharing a moment with the nice Templar your sister is rooting for." Weiss replied as she started tying her hair up for bed.

"I told him that I have too much to deal with right now…"

"But it wasn't a no." Yang chimed in, chuckling at the end since she was happy that Ruby was showing Raph a bit more attention. Ruby simply groaned again as she attempted to get out of her gear while laying on her bed. After quite a bit of struggling, she got up and started to strip.

"I have to decide whether I approach the Templars for help or stop the Venatori…" Ruby announced as she put on a shirt and pants for bed. So much was resting on her shoulders, and she could barely keep up with learning everything about a new world while she was trying her best to fix it. "And I don't know what to do or who to side with."

"Well… whatever you choose, we will have your back. For now, just rest and get some sleep." Yang encouraged. Her poor sister was dealing with so much stuff, and she was just a little kid.

"Thanks guys." Ruby sighed as she climbed into bed and curled up. So much on her mind, so she let it all go and let sleep take her, hoping that the morning would bring her some ideas on what to do next… for everything.

 **A/N:** There you have it! Again, sorry for the wait. I'll do my best to keep up with putting chapters out. Also, just for the fun and in the spirit of choice in Dragon Age, you, the readers, will decide the choice of the Inquisition's ally. Will you choose the growing forces of the Templars? Or will you choose the Mages and stop the Venatori threat? PM or review your thoughts, comments, or concerns as well as your vote. Just a reminder, this choice will impact the story greatly, world and Team RWBY equally. Enjoy, and until next time.

-Chief.

P.S. All of my other works are not dead, just on a slow burn for a bit.


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